Reconciliation
by Lumpyness
Summary: Set seven years after the events of The Traitor. Astrid is feeling quietly horrified at the way the village is slowly dissolving into chaos, and the rumours of a brown-haired hero who rides a dragon and roams the lands like a lost soldier do not help.
1. Chapter One

_Hello all!_

_I'll start by saying that if you're reading this, I do hope you've already read the prequel, as it is utterly necessary to understanding where this tale goes. I'm having trouble posing a link on this story page, so just go through my profile to find it. It shouldn't be hard, as it's the only other story I have!  
><em>

_As for the rest of you who have already followed the story from the beginning, welcome back! Rather than waste time with forewords, I think I'll get started immediately._

_At the end of the previous story, we saw an exiled Hiccup leaving Berk with Toothless, and pushing away Astrid's attempt at remorse and an apology. However, Hiccup felt as he flew away on Toothless bck that something still tied him to the village, and Astrid had no idea what she was feeling._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter One: The Passage of Time<em>

To say that all was well in the village of Berk would, bluntly put, be a great misuse of the truth.

The passage of seven years had left the hardy little township much altered.

A new generation of Viking babies was now being raised on the meridian of misery, the children, at the tiny age of two, were already being conditioned to be tough, resilient and unwavering in the face of great and terrible danger, just like their parents.

Those villagers who were slightly older (but still barely out of their nappies) were growing accustomed to the regular ups and downs of the village, although there were significantly more of the latter.

And the teens were getting on just fine, no worries at all...aside from the _endless _bickering characteristic of that age group.

However.

There existed a particular generation, a small group of young adults of no more than two decades in age and exactly five in number, upon whom a great burden seemed to lie.

These were indeed the Vikings who had been present seven years previously as one of their number had been banished and cast out into the wide world.

The main problem, the _only _problem in fact, still facing that hardy little village which jutted precariously out from a small rock face bordering on the far northern seas, was the pests.

While some villages further south had mice or mosquitoes, the Vikings of Berk had...

Dragons.

_Dragons_.

The tenacious beasts never ceased to attack the village of Berk.

Monthly, occasionally even weekly, the great cry would erupt that a raid was beginning, and every able-bodied man and woman would go to war with their arch enemies; the huge, ferocious, razor-clawed, fire-breathing, reptilian dragons.

And no matter how many times the Vikings drove them off, regardless of how many dragons and humans died on either side, the beasts continued to plunder the villager's food stores, unceasingly stealing every last morsel of meat that they could find, alive _or _dead, before simply flying back towards the east.

And in the east was supposedly where their nest lay, hidden beneath an eternal sea of mist and fog which covered the ocean stacks and far shoreline for many miles.

Countless attempts had been made to find the dragon stronghold, but each and every one had ended in disaster.

Thankfully, the monsters were to some extent cold blooded, and the inevitable onset of winter seemed to curb their voracious hunger.

But now, as a new spring began to creep slowly over the landscape, the raids began again.

And this is where Astrid Hofferson found herself one early morning in Berk, wrestling with a dragon nearly twice her size on the cold green grass of the village meadow.

As the first rays of the sun began to crest the far oceanic horizons, the young Viking woman grappled with a violent Icebolt dragon which seemed to have no goal apart from tearing out her eyes.

The striking blue beast was stronger and certainly much faster in the open field, but Astrid was a _very_ skilled warrior with great patience and agility, of which the latter was far more useful at present.

"Take _that_ and_ that_ and_ that!_" the blond woman snarled through gritted teeth, repeatedly bashing the monster's scaly head into the frozen dirt and grass.

The Icebolt yelped with panic, unable to shake Astrid from her position atop the beast's neck.

Finally submitting, the dragon spread its four wings and flapped haphazardly towards the cliff, Astrid still clinging to its smooth hide.

Leaping from the worm's back, the Hofferson's daughter landed deftly on the edge of the overhang, just regaining her balance in time to avoid toppling to her death on the rocky crags and outcrops far below.

Glancing back over her shoulder, Astrid could just make out the silhouette of the Icebolt, flying away from the village somewhat awkwardly.

Shuddering from the icy chill of the cold morning air, the blond Viking turned back towards Berk just in time to see the last of the dragon flock taking off, heading eastward with a sizeable portion of the village's sheep.

Cursing out loud, Astrid cast around for here axe which had been wrested from her grasp earlier by the fire-breathing fiends.

But her faithful weapon, with which she had once killed a Glowdart dragon in front of the entire population of Berk, that stout little axe which had only once in living memory left her side now lay in splinters in a puddle of mud and ice at the edge of the village.

Kneeling down beside the ruins of her axe, Astrid began to pick up the slivers of charred wood and metal which lay strewn about the place; the damage was irreparable.

But, try as she might, she could not bring herself to be angry at the dragon which had done this; after all it had just tried to defend itself from her.

"_But then, why do the dragons attack the village at all if there's a chance that they might be killed?"_

_"Because they need to feed."_

_"But then how did they eat before Vikings inhabited these parts?"_

Astrid's overactive mind began to analyse the situation far too much, and before she knew it, the Viking girl was already justifying to herself why the dragons deserved to be slaughtered merely for _existing_.

Typical.

Simply put, Berk was a mess.

Shards of splintered wood littered the ground, mingling with the scorched earth, burnt grass and snowy slush.

Long black marks were smeared across the ground, indicating where a dragon had unleashed its fiery breath.

Here and there a couple houses still smouldered, slowly collapsing into heaps of coal and ash amidst a few solitary beams of charred timber.

Great plumes of murky, black smoke rose high above the village, drifting away with the aerial currents of the cold sky, and mingling with the pure white clouds high in the heavens.

The smell in the air was one of intense, muddy, viscous charcoal and rancid, wet-burning hey.

Never before had a dragon raid caused so much destruction.

"Hey, 'Strid! '_Strid!_" Someone was shouting her name, and Astrid turned to see the great bulk of Fishlegs trudging towards her.

The vast Viking was sporting a broken nose and clutching the burnt handle of his mace; his weapon had also been destroyed.

"_It's turning out to be a really great day..._" the young woman thought bitterly.

Casually noting that this manneristic use of sarcasm did not originally belong to her, Astrid smiled sadly.

"Got you a good one as well, did they 'Legs?" she called back, and Fishlegs grimaced.

The blond Viking herself had also been hurt, albeit not very badly.

Astrid could indeed feel blood running down the side of her face, but the wound was purely superficial, and would heal with time.

Assuming, of course, that Icebolt dragons weren't venomous.

"Which reminds me …" she finished her train of thought out loud. "I've got some more information for your book, 'Legs!" The bulky boy looked pleased to hear this, at the very least.

"Are you alright, Astrid?" he asked uncertainly, stopping a few metres from her. "You've got a nasty cut on your forehead. Looks, more like a bite, actually."

"I'll be fine," replied the blond woman. "..._Hopefully..._" she finished with a worried thought.

As the rest of the gang began to emerge from the lingering cloud of smoke and ash left by numerous fire-blasts which had emanated from the gullets of hungry dragons, Astrid looked around at her friends.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were both unharmed, and stood next to their respective fiancés, exchanging meaningful glances; they had most likely been competing yet again over who could kill the most dragons.

But as the score was usually nil all, there was never anything to worry about.

Fishlegs was tending to his lady-friend's injured shoulder; it looked like her shield-arm had borne the brunt of a Nightmare's fire.

Astrid couldn't believe that anyone could fall for such a dork, and a...sizeable one at that, but now that he had got himself into a meaningful relationship, Fishlegs seemed to be showing a truly generous and compassionate nature, comparable in magnitude only to the breadth of his gut.

Snotlout was wiping a large amount of thick, viscous dragon blood off end of his flail.

He had evidently been somewhat successful at fighting the horde of Terrible Terrors which had come hurtling his way near the start of the raid.

Astrid shuddered at the thought of the great bullish Viking swinging his weapon indiscriminately, smashing skulls and wings, crushing legs and tails, with the pained cries of dying dragons all around him – and stopped herself right there.

"_Since when does_ _a Viking show a dragon any kind of sympathy?_" Snotlout turned his head, tilting it to one side, and gave Astrid a quirky grin.

Seven years had not curbed the brutish Viking's attitude towards her, and Astrid felt a knot clench sickeningly in the pit of her stomach at the hungry look in his eyes.

Making a big point of shaking her head in disgust, the blond Viking turned back to Fishlegs.

"Anyway..." she sighed, "I got a very good up-close look at an Icebolt's mouth. They have eight incisors, four top, four bottom, and a set of four longer fangs–Possibly venomous," Astrid rattled off, ending with a casual gesture towards her head injury. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Fishlegs was currently in the process of documenting every last little fact and figure on the different varieties of dragons in the far north, and the sudden migration of several new species such as the Icebolt had made his favourite hobby that much more enjoyable.

"Awesome!" the chubby Viking exclaimed with pure enthusiasm.

An odd and slightly abnormal young man he was indeed, but lovable nonetheless.

As the group began to slowly dissipate, the young adults chatted casually amongst themselves and began to clean the village up, and Astrid found herself shifting charred lumps of wood alongside Snotlout.

The great buffoon of a Viking had recently stepped up his attempts to...what was the cliché?

'_Capture her heart_'?

But even after all these years, she still didn't want anything to do with him.

This attitude surprised everyone in the village, as Snotlout was turning out to be the perfect Viking.

Strong, tough, mean, and with a voracious appetite to exceed all of those combined, this young man should have been the perfect potential husband, and had grown in every sense...except maturity.

Emotional maturity, that was; the kind that Astrid truly longed for.

"So..." Snotlout whistled, attempting to take a rather sizeable chunk of burned timber off Astrid's hands. "You were looking pretty good today.

That was some really neat fighting back there with the Icebolt." His tone was now rather pleasant, but in spite of Astrid's ingrained fondness towards any sort of flattery, coming from Snotlout it meant nothing–Nothing_ at all_.

And she had the fullest intention of making this as blatantly obvious as possible.

"And yet _I _got bitten," she replied sarcastically; such snide and snarky comments had somehow become Astrid's forte, in spite of the fact that they were highly reminiscent of a certain someone whom almost everyone was doing their very best to try and forget.

"It's just a scratch," persisted Snotlout, still trying to assist the young woman with moving the debris of some unfortunate Viking's incinerated residence. "And a _sexy_ one at that. All _real _Vikings have scars –"

"Then maybe I don't _want_ to be a real Viking, _Snotlout_." Astrid cut in scathingly; her wound was starting to feel like something a little deeper than "just a scratch".

But, for once, it wasn't so much the tone of her voice that had surprised the beefy boy, but her choice of words.

Seeing the shocked and suspicious look dawning on his face, Astrid immediately backtracked and corrected herself.

"Sorry." Although she wasn't, really. "I think...I might have taken a bit of a knock. More than I'm used to, anyhow." Snotlout's face immediately shifted from the usual hungry look to one of shallow compassion; Astrid hardly believed that the stupid lout had the emotional capability of anything more than a mug of near-frozen gnat's urine.

"Let me take a look at it," he said with a horrid grin, raising a fat fist to Astrid's head, but she knocked his hand away.

Dropping her load of charred wooden shards, she wheeled round to face him directly.

"Snotlout, how long is it going to take until you get it into that thick skull of yours that I am _not interested in you_? How many more of your foul and filthy attempts at seduction must I be forced to endure before you realise that you and I have _no future together_?" She had decided once and for all to stop beating around the bush, and come out into the light with her opinion of Snotlout.

Glaring at him through narrow eyes, Astrid's lips tightened as she prepared for some kind of angry retort typical of such an infuriatingly infatuated numbskull; in a sense, she almost felt sorry for the great buffoon.

Almost.

For a moment it seemed that Snotlout's brain had shut itself off trying to find a loophole or comeback of some kind.

But, unfortunately for her, find one he did.

"Is that what you think?" he said coldly. "Well, you'd better start trying to like me a little better, or things might get a whole lot tougher soon." Astrid snorted.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" she demanded; she was not in the mood for people who talked with any kind of cryptic or hidden messages embedded within their words and sentences.

Snotlout grinned knowingly.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," he said slowly, turning to go.

Astrid spat at his feet, a sign of blatant disrespect among Vikings.

"Mark my words," the bullish boy called over his shoulder as he trudged off down to the centre of the town where all of the Vikings appeared to be congregating. "_You will._"

* * *

><p>As the morning wore slowly on, more and more Vikings simply gave up trying to clean the village after the night's kafuffle, and dragged themselves wearily off to bed.<p>

By midday, barely one tenth of the population of Berk could be spotted outdoors.

Astrid happened to be one of those still in full control of her physical energy; it would take more than just a desperate, half-hour struggle with a horde of violently coloured, fire-breathing monstrosities to sap her will to fight...although her fight was no longer against the beastly dragons, but with a large wooden beam.

The cursed thing had somehow managed to lodge itself in the side of the chieftain's house, and Astrid had, for some reason, decided to place the onerous task of shifting it to a more civilised and out-of-the-way location upon herself.

Sweating and straining at the beam, the Viking woman had almost moved the stubborn timber, when she suddenly stopped dead, staring at a most suspicious sight.

Half-way down the hill which ran through the village of Berk, the chief of the tribe was talking secretively with none other than that slimy serpent Snotlout.

Astrid's grip tightened on the lump of wood as she froze where she stood.

Stoick finished speaking to the Jorgenson boy, and gave him a small pat on the back, a faint smile hidden beneath his massive beard; this did not bode well.

The chieftain then turned towards Astrid, and the young woman quickly snapped her head back to the task at hand.

Finally dislodging the wooden beam, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Stoick was making a beeline for her.

"_Probably just checking out the house...it is his home, after all,_" Astrid tried to reassure herself.

But she could not shake the feeling of a deceptive shadow slinking ever closer.

The inkling had come over her earlier, as Snotlout had been boasting about having to try and start...what was it?

"_Having to start liking him a little better..._" Astrid snorted with disgust at the thought of being seen in a romantic relationship with the stupid oaf.

Noticing that Stoick was now standing directly beside her, Astrid slowly set the lump of wood on the ground and straightened up to face him, trying in vain to wipe some of the soot and ash from her face.

It was only polite; he was, after all, the chief.

Looking attentively up at the Vast man, Astrid saw that he was smiling half-heartedly at her felt the knot of suspicion in her stomach clench even tighter.

As strange as this may have seemed, the whole village had become so accustomed to Stoick's solemn, taciturn and even unfriendly attitude towards everyone and everything that it was truly a rare occurrence when he smiled, one that would normally be celebrated.

But Astrid could see as far as some and further than most; Stoick had always used a particular brand of smile whenever he had something to say that had the potential to come across as bad news, and this was _precisely_ that kind of smile.

"Ah...thanks for helping to fix mah house, lass. Those wretched beasts sure did a number on it!" He stared for a moment up at the burned roof of his home, before turning back to young woman in front of him.

"Listen, Astrid, erm...perhaps you should hurry on home; your parents might be worrying that you're alright, and haven't been gobbled up by a dragon!" he chuckled, but the smile on his face disappeared as Astrid's eyebrows shot up into her fringe faster than a timid Terror; this was NOT normal Viking behaviour, _especially_ not for a great warrior and chieftain like Stoick.

"Go on, lass," he said quietly, "I'll finish off here. And I think your parents might want to talk about...stuff. Yeah..." The Vast man turned away to deal with the beam which Astrid had so laboriously removed from his wall, indicating to the young Viking that she was dismissed.

Trudging back down through the village of Berk, Astrid looked around at the Vikings which stood here and there, lugging and tugging bits and pieces of their houses or conversing with one-another in low tones, the occasional one glancing round to give Astrid a faint smile.

As fearful as it may seem, it were as though the village were beginning to fall apart.

Large numbers of Vikings no longer bothered to meet for the regular communal dinners, opting instead to stay at home with their families.

The old, cheerful attitudes had been replaced by cold indifference and stiff resistances towards invitations to any kind of social gathering.

Even the annual traders were starting to become somewhat put off by the Hairy Hooligans' newfound animosity towards anyone and anything not originating in their own village –

And even towards some their own people.

The frequent dragon raids didn't help either.

Although the beasts never managed to take enough food to leave Berk starving, the attacks sometimes left a Viking or three dead, and their grieving family feeling alone and alienated from the rest of the tribe.

The twins had lost their mother in such a raid four years ago, and although they seemed to have shrugged off any lasting emotional trauma, it was now becoming clear for all to see that the scars of battle did not heal so easily...

The only piece of consolation seemed to be that, in seven years of life in Berk, not a single dragon attack had carried with it the terrifying scream of a Night Fury.

This fact did, however, carry a special meaning for one particular Viking, a harsh reminder past mistakes.

* * *

><p>Practically staggering through the door to her house, Astrid collapsed into the nearest chair, grabbing a lonely mug of water and downing the lot in one go.<p>

Her parents stared.

"Astrid? What's going on?" her mother asked worriedly; Hilda fretted eternally over her youngest child.

Her daughter sighed.

"Nothing." It was the worst lie she had ever told.

Gunnar frowned.

"That's the worst lie you've ever told." Astrid felt her pulse rise with anger.

"_I know _–" she began viciously, but instantly stopped herself; previous arguments had taught her the benefits of keeping her frustration in check.

Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the shocked looks on her parent's faces, she continued.

"I know – but that doesn't matter right now." She decided to cut directly to the chase. "The chief said you'd something important to discuss with me."

Astrid knew to watch her parents carefully; their actions in such situations often gave away exactly what they were thinking.

And the calculated glances which the pair now exchanged were indicative of something quite serious.

"Astrid, dear," Hilda began, with some uncertainty, "your father and I have been concerned lately about your lack of self-esteem."

"_Typical,_" scoffed Astrid to herself, "_of them to worry about me so much. They fussed so much over Johan..._" Her older brother had moved away of the village to live with his new wife as soon as possible, and it had been clear to all why.

Apparently, her parents had not learned from their past mistakes.

"You've changed quite a lot since the...incident with the pen-dragons almost a year ago," stated Gunnar objectively, but her daughter shuddered; as if she needed to be reminded of _that _little mistake.

Though it wasn't really so little.

Roughly a year ago, Astrid had found herself directly responsible for the escape of not one or two of the captured dragons used for the training of young recruits, but _all_ of them.

Her spotless record as the perfect Viking daughter had been permanently tarnished, and Stoick had spoken harsh words with her in front of the entire village, purely to set an example to those who might follow in her fumbling footsteps.

The young warrior had quickly redeemed herself in the eyes of the chief by assisting in the capture of several new and exotic training dragons, but a cloud of personal failure still hung over Astrid to the day, weighing heavily upon her mind.

"And...we both feel," continued her father, "that it's time for you...to get married." Astrid spluttered into her mug, spraying water over the table.

"W-what?" she choked, as her parents once again exchanged those infuriating glances. "No! I – I don't want – I mean, for one thing, there isn't anyone who I..." her voice trailed off at the knowing look on her mother's face.

"Which is why, dear Astrid," Hilda spoke carefully, "we have chosen for you." Being the kind of person who had to control every last element of her own life, this statement did not go down well with Astrid, and she clenched her fists slightly; the thought of being forced into a marriage she did not consent to was disgusting.

"Who is it?" she growled, albeit with an inkling of what the answer was going to be.

"Now dear, first let us explain," her mother continued, pushing Astrid's question to one side. "This marriage is not only to help bring some stability into your life, but also to benefit the entire village." Gunnar nodded in agreement.

"We have discussed the proposed union with both the groom's parents and Stoick, and have concluded that this wedding will be something of a morale boost for Berk." Astrid knew that her father, being head of the tribe's trading parties, had a knack for formal talk, but this was ridiculous to the point of being somewhat condescending.

However, what he had just said had scared Astrid.

Stoick had been talking to Snotlout earlier, just before he had spoken to her.

"The marriage is between yourself and Snotlout Jorgenson," Hilda stated, confirming her daughter's worst suspicions.

For a moment Astrid just sat there, heart pounding in her chest, utterly revolted by her parent's decision.

"Astrid?" But the young woman suddenly stood up, clenching her fists, as a great surge of anger purged all thoughts of calm reason and logic from her mind.

She had not felt such fury for seven years.

"No," she spoke, voice quivering with rage.

Her parents exchanged worried glances.

"Come now, dear, be reasonable –"

"No! I won't – you can't do this to me! You –" But Astrid could no longer find the words to express her feelings.

Turning away in shock and anger, she could only vaguely hear her mother's pleading voice.

"Astrid, _please_, think about _us_! Your _parents_! This marriage will bring us into a better standing within the village –"

"How?" Astrid snorted, fighting to keep her rage in check. "The _Jorgensons _are no better off than anyone else –"

"But they will be once the son is named chief!"

"What?" Astrid whispered. "What did you say?" If the previous piece of news had seemed bad...but she knew perfectly well that that what she had heard was true.

And from Snotlout as well.

"_Well, you'd better start trying to like me a little better, or things might get a whole lot tougher soon."_ His voice rang in her ears, mocking her, taunting her.

"How," Astrid began with fury, "can you stand there saying that this wedding will bring stability back into the village, when Stoick has named _Snotlout Jorgenson _as his successor? HOW? He has the brains and common sense of a –"

"Astrid that's enough!" Gunnar spoke commandingly, and his daughter fell silent, though still seething.

It was something of a cardinal sin amongst Vikings to insult another member of one's own tribe without doing so directly to their face and accepting the consequences.

"Please don't think," her father said, choosing his words carefully, "that we did not consider you in our decision. Perhaps..." He was clearly thinking fast. "Perhaps this marriage to Snotlout will help you find some inner peace–"

"What?" Astrid was beside herself, partially with amazement, but mostly with unbelieving anger. "Do you know anything, ANYTHING about that...boy?" It was becoming increasingly difficult not to seriously insult the other party.

"Have either of you EVER spoken to him, held ANY kind of conversation with him, or even talked about him with his parents?" But as her mother opened her mouth to retort, Astrid made a split second decision.

"You know what? I'm done here! You've obviously made this decision without giving _any _consideration to what your own_ daughter_ wants, so why bother trying to justify it?" And with that said and done, she stormed out of the house, leaving two very emotionally distraught parents exchanging fearful glances.

* * *

><p>Having no idea how she got there, the young woman suddenly found herself standing in the middle of the forest out at Raven's Point.<p>

A gale of frantic thoughts and emotions had driven her from the village of Berk, and sent her deep into the wild woods to the west.

Vague and indistinct images and noises flitted through her mind: a number of villagers staring at her enraged face with curiosity and worry, Tuffnut's questioning voice trying to get her attention, and Gobber's unusually tired expression and casual remarks at her removal of a small battleaxe from the forge on her way out.

Thankfully, the basic Viking instinct of self-preservation had not been extinguished in her fury, and Astrid knew that it would be insane to venture any small distance from the village without a weapon of some kind on her; dragons could strike at any time...

It was starting the get late.

Having been walking for what seemed like an age, she suddenly found herself at the edge of a large cleft in the ground, roughly elliptical in shape.

And terrifyingly familiar...

Climbing slowly down into the clearing, Astrid looked sadly around at the small heaps of slush partially covering the shrubs and bushes surrounding the lake in the centre.

This was the place...this was the place from which _he _had made good his escape.

Almost seven years later, she could still recognise the pile of rocks down which she had tumbled in pursuit of the boy, and the numerous hunks and chunks of broken and splintered wood which marked the many attempts at flight which the boy and his dragon had made...

Overwhelmed by a huge surge of emotions, Astrid knelt down in the wet grass, her head in her hands, and wept for her mistakes as the afternoon sun dipped majestically behind the billowing grey clouds.

The decision was made.

* * *

><p><em>I'm thinking I'll stick with<em>_ upload rate of every second Sunday._

_Just briefly, I would like to mention that ChoFrog19 is proofing each chatper before it appears, so don't be surprised if the writing is of significantly higher quality than Part 1._

_Two weeks people!_

_Lumpyness._


	2. Chapter Two

_Ach, sind wir schon soweit gekommen? Are we at that time of the week already._

_It looks that way!_

_Last time, we saw Astrid being confronted by a strangely riddling Snotlout and a oddly cheerful Stoic after a disastrous dragon raid, seven years after the events of Part 1.  
><em>

_Upon heading home, her parents reveal to her that she has been promised to Snotlout's, and that he will be named the next chieftain of Berk, as Stoic's son no longer exists to the village._

_She is enraged by their decision and horrified by the idea of being married to Snotlout__, and so flees to the forest for some time alone to think. She_ _inadvertently__ stumbles upon the clearing where Hiccup and Toothless spent time together seven years ago, during the events of The Traitor._

_At the end, we saw her overcome with emotion and crying in the sunset. A decision was made...what decision?_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Two: Journey<em>

"Ahoy there! You wouldn't happen to have room for a passenger by any chance, would you?"

"We sure would," the call came back through the dense fog, "but we're only heading West!"

"That's fine! That's the way I'm going!" Astrid shouted out.

Sure enough, a small rowboat was soon visible through the mist, heading towards the shore.

Upon lighting on the beach, the young woman found herself face-to-face with a rather gruff looking sailor.

"Aren't you a bit young to be travelling all alone, lass?" he rumbled with a faltering smile.

Astrid frowned.

"I can take care of myself," she replied shortly.

After a few thoughtful moments, the captain spoke "Very well, come on then."

The young woman peered around at the fog-covered landscape as she followed the huge sailor to his rowboat.

The yellow-brown sands of the beach stretched only twenty feet or so into the distance before the mist became so thick that no further details could be discerned.

But in spite of the dense cloud coverage, the sun still found a crevice through which to cast its golden rays.

As the long shadows of nearby pine trees pieced the fog, a strange whooshing sound grabbed Astrid's attention.

It sounded almost like _wingbeats_...

"Can you hear that?" she asked the captain dubiously, placing a hand on the weapon at her waist.

"No," said the sailor after a short pause, "but I don't doubt that _you_ can. These parts are full of dragons, and we'd best not loiter. Hop in."

Astrid's decision to hunt the outcast down had come as something of a shock to her.

Still not entirely sure what was driving her forward, she had blindly set out on foot towards the west, following the scant advice gleaned from the rumours and stories which she had heard.

"_They say the boy is master of knife and bow, a true hunter by nature..._"

"_The dragon is particularly protective of its rider, always staying by his side..._"

"_My father says he saw the pair once, flying high. Legend has it that the dragon rider resides in an ancient, magnificent fortress in the far western mountain ranges..._"

Astrid couldn't help but scoff; a mere seven years had passed, and he had already become something of a legend.

Although it wasn't really surprising, assuming, of course, that _all _of the tales she heard were true.

The sound of splashing oars and shouting seamen brought her attention back to the present.

Pondering this, the young woman realised that fortune really seemed to be on her side.

Her chances of getting anywhere near this mythical castle were all but nought without the means to travel far over sea, and she thanked the gods that she had spotted the fishing vessel anchored in the bay.

It had already been three days since her enraged departure from Berk, and in spite of her skills in tracking and hunting, she was already having difficulties finding enough to eat in the wild, not to mention the physical exhaustion which had set in...

The ship's crew was kind enough to leave Astrid well enough alone once she had shown that she was not the talkative type, leaving her plenty of time to think.

And think she did.

Of her argument with her parents, of their decision to marry her off to that git Snotlout, of the many rifts and clashes starting to emerge within the village, of the boy and his dragon and how much he might have changed...

Indeed, Astrid should hardly think of him as a boy any more, but rather as a full-grown man.

"_If I'm just twenty one, that would make him merely twenty years old..._" She stopped herself again, wondering why the outcast was consuming so much of her waking mind.

Astrid could still picture his goofy grin, freckled face, striking brown hair and vivid, emerald-green eyes...but with these memories came blurred images of his face, twisted with fury and pain, anger and hurt, rage and tears.

Astrid shuddered at the thought of what they had done to him, what they had driven him to...what _she_ had driven him to.

* * *

><p>"I'm afraid this is as far as we go, lass," the burly fisherman informed her upon stopping at an island port after almost a half a week of straight sailing. "This is the village of the Bog Burglars, great story-tellers and drinkers. We're only here to trade our wares, before we head back south."<p>

"You've already done _more _than enough, sir.

Thank you so much," Astrid replied with a smile The captain gave her a quick grin, before heading off into the village with his sailors and their stocks of fish.

Looking around the port, the young woman realised that, despite knowing a fair bit about the Bog Burglars, she had never actually visited them before.

Their island was very much like Berk: covered in dense pine-forests, with rocky cliffs and crags jutting out here and there, and the high peaks of a snow-capped mountain towering over the Viking settling.

The Bog Burglars was a group of Vikings comprised entirely of women.

The tribe's leader, Big-Boobied Bertha, had on many occasions visited Berk on "diplomatic business", which usually meant a drinking contest.

Astrid was somewhat acquainted with the female chieftains' daughter, Camicazi.

This wild kid was a year or two younger than the Hofferson's daughter, but had the mental age of an immature sparrow – at least, she did last time they'd met.

Nonetheless, this teenage tornado loved her rumours, and was sure to be able to help Astrid on her quest.

Quest?

It seemed funny to think about her search in that way, but it was the truth; her journeys, her destination, her reason, it all seemed so –

"Oy! Astrid! _Astrid_!" Lost in thought once again, the Viking woman barely registered that someone was calling her name.

It seemed that Camicazi had found her first.

Astrid turned to see a quick flash of red before being hit by a soft lump.

Staring down at the girl who seemed to be trying to crush her ribs with a shattering hug, Astrid winced; she could not recall having ever been that close to the wild girl.

"What in Freya's name are you doing here?" Camicazi looked up at Astrid's face with a gawky grin, her blond hair, pointed chin and gleaming eyes giving off an aura of supreme cheekiness.

But as the young woman opened her mouth to answer, the red-head cut in.

"Actually, never mind! You can tell me all about it back in my room!" And with this, she forcibly dragged Astrid off into the village.

* * *

><p>"You want anything? Water? Some bread? We aren't short!"<p>

"Um...sure! Alright." Astrid stared as a whirlwind of blond hair flew about her room, grabbing a mug here and a white loaf there, eventually settling on the bed, crossing her legs and beckoning to the young woman with a smile.

"Thanks!" she said, tucking into the bread with great gusto; the fishermen had offered her food, but Astrid had declined, not wanting to be imposing.

She hadn't had a proper meal since she left Berk.

"So..." Camicazi grinned at her guest's hunger. "That's...quite an empty stomach you've got there." Astrid could only nod in reply; her mouth was so full with delicious baked goods that she might have painted the entire room with a charming combination of bread and saliva, had she attempted any kind of verbal response.

"Wanna tell me why?" Eyes widening in fear, the Viking woman shook her head violently; little Camicazi was well known for exploiting any story and turning it into a tall tale of love and lust.

And hers would hardly be an exception.

"I thought you wouldn't..." the girl said with a sad smile. "So I'll take a guess; you're searching for that dragon rider?" It should have been obvious, Astrid thought.

Most of the stories of this fabled boy and his beast had come from this area, and the Bog Burglar's village was about as far west as you could go before hitting the open ocean.

Swallowing hard, the young woman coughed a little, washing down her mouthful with a swig of water.

"Yeah...so what if I am?"

"Well," her host replied thoughtfully, "I might be able to help you out there."

"_Really_?" This seemed too good to be true, and Astrid suddenly found herself full of hope.

"But I'll give you a little advice," Camicazi continued, holding up a finger in warning, suddenly deadly serious. "Don't expect a warm welcome." Her guest frowned.

"Why not?"

"Isn't it obvious? _He _clearly wants nothing more to do with anyone from his old tribe." His _old_ tribe – sad, but true.

The boy ran away for a reason "Still," Camicazi sniffed, giving Astrid a hearty pat on the back, "it could be worse." The young woman's fleeting moment of hope had now been all but dashed, but this next sentence really gave her a start.

"_Could be worse_?" she started angrily, but her host cut her off straight away.

"Well at least he hasn't led an army of dragons on a rampage to kill all Vikings yet."

"True..." Astrid replied quietly, doubting that the outcast would really do that.

Surely he wasn't so far gone as to contemplate such an atrocity?

Astrid ended up spending the night in Camicazi's bed, while the Bog Burglar kipped on her floor.

She should have felt grateful for everything the girl was doing for her: the food, the bed, the assistance in her search...she had even consented to keeping her guest's visit a secret from the rest of the tribe.

"No one saw you arrive, and no one's gonna see you leave, either."

But the Viking woman was having a hard time feeling anything right now.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Astrid found out first hand that the chieftain's daughter also owned her own boat.<p>

Most handy, especially for giving short rides to needy travellers.

Travellers like Astrid.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Yeah – I think so, anyway. I saw him flying over a couple of nights ago. That Night Fury sure is noticeable –"

"Quite." Camicazi frowned, but was content to keep steering the small ship onwards.

A thick fog hung in the dark air, but the young girl knew her way around these waters like the back of her hand – or so she claimed.

Astrid doubted that anyone could tell where they were going in this morning half-light, but then again, Camicazi wasn't just _anyone_.

"I hope you don't expect me to come with you..." she spoke quietly after a little while.

"No," was the brief answer.

This was something Astrid had to do alone.

As the sun began to crest the horizon, the mist finally started to thin, and the vague silhouette of a mountain range could be made out against the sky.

Swinging the ship into a small cove, the little sailor brought her vessel up alongside a rocky cliff, which was just low enough for her passenger to disembark.

"And 'ere we are then!" she said brightly, as Astrid clambered up onto side of the boat, staring up at the stony cliffs, now growing brighter in the morning light.

"This...are you sure this is it?"

"Just follow that path," Camicazi smiled, pointing to a precarious path jutting out along the steep slopes. "It's a bit of a hike, but keep heading along that way and you'll invariably find the castle. No one else from my tribe dares to go up there; they all say it's _haunted_. But –" she finished with a cheeky grin, "– I guess I just couldn't help myself."

This was the mischievous old Camicazi Astrid once knew, the little terror at her best.

Taken by a sudden rush of guilt at the way she had responded to her host's generous acts, the Viking woman jumped back onto the boat, and gave the girl a parting hug.

"Is that a 'thanks-for-helping-me-out-giving-me-food-and-putting-me-up-for-the-night'?"

"Pretty much," Astrid said with a smile, before releasing her friend and clambering up onto the cliffs.

Looking back down at Camicazi, she noticed for the first time how mature the Bog Burglar really was.

"Goodbye, Astrid!" she cried, before turning back to board the boat, leaving Astrid to begin her trek up the mountain alone.

* * *

><p>A "hike" it most certainly was, and a tough one at that.<p>

Looking back at down the slope up which she had just climbed, the young woman could barely make out the small boat disappearing into the receding fog.

Despite giving her some food and water, Camicazi had failed to mention exactly how long this walk was going to take.

Staring around at the sparse pine thickets and fields of boulders which littered the misty mountainside, Astrid sighed, and steeled herself for a long walk.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Astrid's feet were really starting to feel the rocks.<p>

Her tough boots were all but worn through from the harsh scree slopes, but the wear and tear didn't stop there – the young woman felt her willpower continually draining off into the cold stones and grey-brown trees which surrounded her.

Higher and higher into the mountains she trekked.

The clouds seemed to envelop the land in a sheath of shining white.

Astrid groaned, and made for the nearest boulder upon which she fully intended to rest herself– But she didn't quite get there.

A sudden screech pierced the shimmering air, and echoed off the cliffs to either side.

The sound was unmistakable.

It was the cry of a dragon.

The young woman immediately dived behind the rock upon which she was about to sit down, unstrapping her shield and drawing the small axe which she had stolen from the forge back in Berk.

Her hometown now seemed so far away, lost across the vast northern seas and hidden behind towering islands of cold stone, jutting out from the ocean like ancient giants, frozen by the passage of time.

"_This is no time for sentimentality, Astrid!_" the Viking slapped herself with the proverbial wet fish, and peered around into the fog.

As the eerily familiar sound of wingbeats now began to permeate the thick, white air, Astrid steeled herself for the inevitable blast of fire that was sure to come her way any moment now – a sharp crunching sound resounded from the other side of the large rock behind which she was hidden; the dragon had landed nearby, not more than thirty feet away.

And it certainly knew where she was.

Looking out around the rock Astrid prepared herself for the worst; on open ground like this, a dragon had a huge advantage in one-on-one combat.

The child's axe which the Viking woman had with her would hardly help her – not to mention her lightweight, wooden travel shield –

But yet another shock awaited her on the other side of that stone.

There stood a great, vivid blue Deadly Nadder.

The spined dragon was crouched directly across the path ahead, wings spread wide, head tilted to one side, great yellow eyes focussed directly upon Astrid.

The Viking bit her lip.

This was _not _normal dragon behaviour – but then again, she didn't really know what was anymore.

The Nadder was making a soft, trilling noise; the sound seemed strangely familiar...and soothing; was it possibly trying to communicate with her?

"_Don't be stupid...dragons aren't intelligent, and they sure can't understand you..._" But Astrid couldn't live with such a lie any more.

The seven years since the incident had been biting at Astrid's resolve the whole time, questioning her understanding of the world around her and forcing her to think in a fashion which most Vikings would find utterly ridiculous.

And more than anything else, the passage of time had shown her how very wrong humans could be – and in so many ways.

For better or for worse, the Viking woman decided to confront her fears and face the dragon.

"_Besides,_" she thought agitatedly, "_it certainly isn't going anywhere fast_."

Slowly standing up, Astrid moved cautiously out from behind the rock, still holding her wooden buckler up to cover as much of her body as possible, and gripping her small axe fearfully with white knuckles...not that either would be of any use if that Nadder decided that the human would be better off going down its gullet as a roast lunch.

The beast's eyes followed her every move, eyes wide...with fear?

It now seemed that this dragon was almost as afraid of her as she was of it – if that were even possible.

It shifted a little on its claws, as though somehow uncertain how this should continue, perhaps a bit anxious.

"_Should I take the next step_?" It would be the most risky action Astrid had ever taken, but the pair would probably still be standing there at a stalemate for a very long time indeed.

Slowly unclasping her shield, unsure of both what she was doing _and _exactly why she was doing it, the Viking slowly lowered the thin wooden frame to the ground and placed it upon the scattered rocks, her heart pounding against her chest.

The Nadder cocked its head to the other side, staring intently at the weapon still clasped in Astrid's right hand.

"Alright, alright..." the young woman sighed in acquiescence, and placed her axe upon the buckler, effectively throwing down her last line of defence.

She now stood unarmed not thirty feet from a Deadly Nadder almost four times her size.

"I must be crazy..." she murmured to herself.

Thankfully, the dragon took the next step.

Clucking curiously, the blue beast bent its neck forward without any aggression.

It began to creep slowly forward, rustling the pebbles and pine needles beneath its feet.

Astrid drew in a sharp breath.

"_Am I about to die?_"

But the answer to that question was already clear; if the dragon had any intention to kill to her, it could and would have done so long ago.

Answering the Nadder's footsteps with her own, the young woman walked towards her adversary with all the calm she could muster.

Now only a few yards from the blue beast, Astrid stared into its sharp yellow eyes, examining their detail.

The dragon blinked several times, before closing its eyes and lowering its head further towards this strange little human.

And the Viking found herself reaching out with her hand, enchanted by this creature's seemingly gentle, trusting nature.

Closer and closer the pair drew together, the young woman biting her lip so hard she almost drew blood, and the Nadder still holding its eyes tightly shut.

And then, after what seemed like an eternity...

The dragon brushed its scaly head gently against Astrid's smooth hand, and opened its eyes to look up at the shaking human.

The Viking's face slowly split into a faltering smile, before she knelt down in on the hard, rocky ground and brought her other hand up to caress the Nadder's beak.

It was rough, warm, and somehow strangely soothing to the touch.

Now smiling with some previously unknown inner joy, Astrid stared in wonder as this dragon, this wonderful, beautiful, intelligent creature stood that before her, its head in her hands, and its trust held out in front, willing Astrid to accept it.

The young woman let out a laugh at the surge of happiness which welled up inside her at the final realisation of what made such a relationship between human and dragon so special.

Sensing that the girl's heart was opening to her, the Nadder warbled quietly, blinking several more times and stared into the Viking's joyous face.

Beginning to understand that this was how humans showed love and happiness, it tried to imitate the expression upon the girl's face, but only succeeded in pulling a funny lip movement which caused Viking to burst out laughing.

Wiping tears of happiness and mirth from her eyes, the girl sobbed "T-that's...really quite something...!"

Before Astrid knew it, she found herself crying her heart out, resting her head against the Nadder's warm scales.

"H-how could I h-have been so stupid...so blind..." she sobbed quietly.

As the full magnitude of what she had until now failed to see washed over her, the Viking woman clutched the dragon's head like a shipwrecked sailor clutching at their saviour and let her emotions finally flow free.

The great blue beast sank slowly to the ground, wrapping its spiny tail gently around the human, comforting and caressing her with its great wings.

After a little while, as the tide of stricken thoughts and feelings began to ebb just a little, Astrid raised her head and rested her chin against the dragon's beak, staring into its deep yellow eyes.

"I'm so sorry..." she gulped tearfully, hoping to all the gods that the Nadder could understand her. "For everything that I've done...for all those mistakes...for all the pain I've caused...I know it may seem pointless if you can't understand me –" Realising that what she had just said was based on an archaic, shattered and utterly false prejudice, she changed tack at lightning speed. "– But I'm sure you can," she finished with a grin.

The dragon nodded slowly, still supporting Astrid's head with its own.

"You _can_?" Despite now knowing that this had to be true, it still came as a surprise to the Viking woman to witness a dragon responding _directly_ to words spoken by a human.

The Nadder blinked several times and narrowed its eyes, as if to say '_is-it-really-not-obvious-for-you-by-now_?' "Well," Astrid continued uncertainly, the memories suddenly gushing back of exactly where she and what she was doing, "perhaps you could help me.

You see, I'm looking for this castle–" But no sooner had she mentioned the word, than the dragon unfurled its wings and crouched lower to the ground gesturing with its head over its shoulder.

"You...you want me to _ride _on you?" Astrid could hardly believe this, but Nadder nodded once again "Alright..."

Standing up slowly, the Viking woman cast a glance over the dragon's scaly back; it wasn't exactly a vision of comfort for the rear...but what had she expected?

In truth, _nothing _at all like this.

Turning to pick up her axe and shield which lay some few yards behind her, Astrid raised her eyebrows questioningly towards to vivid blue creature, which blinked back at her several times.

"Do you...you don't mind if I...?" She gestured casually towards her gear, and the Nadder rolled its eyes sarcastically, shaking its hide impatiently.

"_Fine, fine..._" Having retrieved and carefully stowed away the items in question so as not the make the dragon feel at all threatened, the young woman now walked back to the blue beast's side, and clambered up onto its scaly back.

Hoping it didn't mind if she held onto the horns, Astrid braced herself for takeoff.

"I hope you know where you're go – ahhhhh!"

And with great gust of wind, they were off.

The Viking experienced a fleeting sense of swooping sickness at the sudden launch, but soon began to feel to rhythm of the dragon's wingbeats and the way it cut through the air like an arrow fired true from the string.

Glancing back down at the rapidly receding earth, Astrid immediately wished she hadn't, as the morning's breakfast instantly began to threaten her with a return journey out the wrong end of her stomach.

Swallowing hard, she stared around, eyes smarting in the cold air, and finally began to experience what it was really like to have a dragon as a friend.

The great sea of clouds fell away below, leaving a majestic array of snow capped peaks lined up against the horizon ahead.

Far off in the distance, Astrid could just make out the faint silhouette of a fortress, sharply contrasted in black stone against the pure white of the ice-tipped mountains.

And it was towards this castle which the dragon now carried her.

* * *

><p><em>I do hope you're all liking where this story is going, people. Any comments, suggestions or criticism, just do a quick review or PM me. Please, I really do appreciate the feedback, and would love to hear what you've got to say!<br>_

_Two weeks people!_

_Lumpyness._


	3. Chapter Three

_Righty-o, people! Here we are again!_

_I think I'll just jump straight in tonight!_

_After roughly half a week's travel, Astrid has arrived, with the help of a Deadly Nadder, at a huge castle on a lonely mountain plateau far in the west, where she believes Hiccup might be. Having conquered her fear of dragons, she now feels ready to face a new challenge...the challenge of the unknown. How will Hiccup react when he sees her? Will he even recognise her? And what will the passage of seven years' time have done to them both?_

_I think this is possible one of the most compelling chapters I've written in this story, so brace yourselves!  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three: Cold Reunion<em>

Astrid stared in wonder as the great fortress drew ever closer and closer.

Now no more than ten miles from the giant bastion, the young woman marvelled at its sheer size.

This immense castle seemed to be carved from living rock jutting out from the mountain top, a massive, blue and black spire capped with pure white snow.

However, several violent sneezes later, she was feeling a lot less enchanted.

Shivering with the icy chill of the wind as the air rushed past the soaring dragon, Astrid found herself wishing that the ride was over.

As amazing as the new experience of flight was for her, it would be a lot more enjoyable were she not frozen to the bone.

But she didn't have to wait long.

Although the pair was still a few miles from the fortress, the Nadder suddenly began to descend.

As the ground came into sharp contrast with the surrounding clouds, the dragon dipped, spread its wings wide, and glided smoothly in to land.

At this altitude, the ground was devoid of all life.

Sliding from the Nadder's back, Astrid gaze around at the barren landscape; the grey rocks and white snow slopes stretched to the horizon, reflecting the harsh glare of the sun.

The dragon clucked several times, tilting its head to one side, and shook its flanks, seemingly agitated.

"Why?" the Viking asked blandly. "What have you got to be afraid of up here? There's no-one around but us..."

Her voice faded as the Nadder turned its head to stare up at the castle, its immense walls towering up over them, even from this distance.

"I understand," Astrid spoke quietly, "I can imagine he wouldn't exactly be...approachable." The dragon gave a slight chuckle, rustling its wings in amusement. "I can't...I can hardly believe I _ever_ saw you as..." the young woman wondered, stroking the beast's rough face.

Suddenly, she noticed something odd.

The beautiful creature seemed to have some kind of a bruise just underneath its right eye, a greyed patch of skin in place of the brilliant blue, where the scales seemed to be somewhat mashed and disfigured.

Realisation suddenly sinking in, Astrid's hand went to her mouth, and she shied away from the blue Nadder.

"That's..." she gasped, "that's where _I _hit..." The dragon gave her a reproachful look. "Oh Thor!"

Astrid's mind flashed to an event so far back in the distant annals of the past, that it seemed like another lifetime entirely...

* * *

><p>"Let me...why don't you?" Astrid struggled to pull her axe out of his shield, straining at the wooden frame while he yelped with pain.<p>

Finally managing to stand, the girl gasped as the striking blue figure of a huge Deadly Nadder charged at her, screeching with fury.

Planting one foot firmly on the small boy's face and the other on the stony floor of the training arena, Astrid strained with all her might at her embedded axe, her heart pounding with fear as the charging dragon rapidly closed on them.

"Ow! _Ow_! OW!" The freckled-boy shouted with pain, Astrid's foot squashing his nose.

Finally freeing her weapon, the blade still stuck in his shield, she swung with all her might at the dragon's onrushing form, which was now only a few yards from her.

The wooden frame connected directly with the Nadder's face, splintering into hundreds of shattered fragments, and the dragon gave a yelp of pain at the impact.

Astrid clutched her axe tightly and glared viciously at the blue beast.

But the dragon, it seemed, had had enough.

"Well done Astrid." Gobber's approval sounded through the cold air.

As the Nadder limped away, clucking with pain, the victorious Viking turned back to the small boy, now cowering in fear on the floor of the arena.

Astrid felt incensed; never before had anyone dishonoured the training rituals so.

"Is this some kind of a _joke_ to you?" He stared up at her in surprise, a little shocked.

"Our parent's war is about to become _ours_! Figure out which side you're on!" And without another word, she stalked away, leaving a troubled little Viking to ponder his mistakes, and perhaps learn from them...

Or so she had hoped.

It seemed that the boy had indeed chosen his side in the end...and it certainly wasn't hers.

* * *

><p>"Why did I treat him like that?" Astrid spoke sadly, the memories of old stirred by events new, causing her distraught emotions to churn fitfully once again.<p>

"Why couldn't I just have accepted him as different? I could have just minded my own business, but no. No, I just _had_ to stick my jealous nose into his life...and mess things up." She ended on a low note, staring bitterly down at the ground.

For the first time in her life, Astrid was truly angry, enraged, _furious_...at herself.

For everything she done, and for what she was about to do.

"This is stupid..." she muttered to herself. "He probably doesn't want to see me – and he really doesn't deserve to have remnants of his old life cropping back up. He probably just wants to forget..."

She started back along the path down the mountain, only half aware of what she was doing, before the Nadder ran around in front of her, clucking with curiosity. "_What are you doing_?" Astrid sighed.

"I don't really know any more." Cocking its head to one side, the dragon stared at her reproachfully. "_You came this far, why turn back now_?"

The Viking simply stared.

This creature, this wonderful, beautiful dragon actually cared about her.

Nudging her with its snout, the Nadder coaxed her gently.

"_Go on._ _You can do it._ _Just go_." Spurred on by its gentle guidance and persuasion, Astrid turned around and stared up at the looming fortress.

Several more steps, and she turned back to look at the dragon.

The blue creature was still crouched across the path where she had left it, staring at her coaxingly.

Smiling back at the Nadder, the young woman felt a sudden rush of happiness.

Even if it turned out that the goal of her journey was for nought, she had still accomplished something wonderful, something which she could share with the other Vikings back at Berk.

"Thank you," she spoke, voice laden with emotion, "for everything!" Then, facing the giant castle once more, she steeled herself, and walked bravely on, filled with hope and conviction.

Turning back only once more to watch the dragon take flight, soaring off in the opposite direction, Astrid shivered a little at the thought of what she might be about to face, but at least she could do with a somewhat clearer conscience than before.

* * *

><p>Placing a hand on the frozen iron of the castle gates, the Viking took a deep breath, and pushed.<p>

As the metal bars swung open, Astrid stared for a moment up at the stone walls and dark window openings of the black fortress, before walking purposefully across the desolate courtyard, avoiding the pools of slush and dirty black ice.

Her breath was like the little puffs of smoke from a sleeping dragon's maw, and she shivered a little.

It was hard to believe that anyone could find any kind of solace or inner peace in such a place.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flitted about the corner of her eye, startling the young woman and causing her to jump with fright.

Turning to look up the tall spire to her left, Astrid's eyes slowly traced the stonework up and up, until finally coming to rest upon the blue tiles at the very tip of the steeple.

And there, crouched upon a great stone gargoyle, peering down at her with wide, vivid eyes was a Night Fury.

_The _Night Fury.

Toothless.

Astrid's last memories of the black dragon involved one _very_ angry black beast bearing down upon her, growling with malicious intent, before being called off at the last moment by its rider.

But the dragon which now stared down at her from high above was hardly the aggressive beast which had once threatened her back in the clearing at Raven's Point.

But, no more than a few seconds later, the Night Fury was gone again, disappeared over the wall.

"Well," Astrid sighed, "at least I know he's here."

After what seemed like an age, she finally reached the portal to the fortress entrance.

The huge pair of doors before her was covering in striking blue and white paintings –

Of _dragons_.

"Dragons..." Astrid murmured, running a hand across the intricate coloured impressions and panels. "No wonder he sought refuge here. The place must have some significance...some connection with dragons." Probably something only _he _could understand.

And, with a sudden rush of vim and vigour, she pushed hard against the great iron handle on the entrance.

As the doors swung open majestically, the young woman walked cautiously forward.

In spite of the many windows to the outside, the room ahead seemed as dark as night, in stark contrast with the piercing white glare of snow capped mountains and cold, streaking clouds.

But, as her eyes began to adjust to the change in light, Astrid began to make out more and more details of what seemed to be a large entrance hall.

Closing the great doors quietly behind her, she walked out into the middle of the great chamber and peered around.

Directly opposite the opening to the outside world was a small fountain with a pair of short staircases either side leading to an upper level.

The roughly circular room was lined with grey pillars, and a massive collection of candles hung down from the ceiling.

The whole room was painted with beautiful shades of blues and greys – and everywhere she looked, Astrid saw pictures of dragons.

Some of the paintings portrayed great sunset vistas, resplendent in full colour, with dragons soaring high above lonely mountain peaks, pine forests, gorges and glaciers, while others depicted the creatures meeting with humans.

Even the chamber itself seemed to have been designed in honour of these beasts, with every nook and cranny, stone and statue shaped to a perfect image of the creature it sought to pay homage to.

Standing directly in the centre of the room, she suddenly noticed that the whole floor, illuminated by a great opening high above, was a giant mosaic of two beings, a human and a dragon.

Stepping backwards to examine the exquisite work of art, Astrid's heart leapt into her mouth at the message it brought.

The two beings were standing together on a seemingly endless field of deep, green grass, the human's hand resting on the brow of the dragon, the pair staring deep into each other's eyes.

This was the ultimate expression of friendship and trust between man and beast.

A sudden slamming noise almost made Astrid scream with fright.

The whole room had been deadly silent ever since she had pushed the huge front doors to, and such a noise seemed almost to desecrate the sanctity the place.

Staring around for the source of the noise, the young woman's hand went straight to her weapon.

But her search for a new presence in the chamber did not last long.

The figure of a man was making its way slowly down the stairs to the left of the central fountain, hidden in shadow.

But, as the newcomer walked past the dried-up water feature and out into the central light, his face was bathed in the dusty, faint rays of an afternoon sun.

In spite of the passage of seven years time, Astrid recognised him instantly, as though it were only yesterday that he had said goodbye to her.

Hiccup was clothed in a green tunic, fur vest, leather pants and thick woollen boots, almost identical to those he once wore as a teenager back in the Viking village of Berk, all those years ago, albeit a quite few sizes larger.

But now Astrid began to notice even more difference between this boy and the tiny Hiccup who had once stood up to his father in front of the entire village defending the life of a dragon.

His physical stature had changed quite a lot; still quite slim as far as Vikings went, the skinniness of his youth had now been replaced by a lean, muscular figure.

He now stood almost a head taller than Astrid.

Hiccup's brown hair now flowed down to his shoulders and partially obscured his eyes, which seemed to be the one feature that had remained entirely unaltered by his transition to adulthood.

But the strangest thing of all was that the young man who now stood before her bore no expression of any kind on his face.

And this, more than anything else, seemed intensely menacing; every time Astrid had seen him before, Hiccup's features had always portrayed exactly what he had been feeling, be it amusement, anger, fear or sadness.

But _now_...

Now there was nothing.

Thankfully, this bizarre lack of emotion was only momentary, as the boy's face slowly twisted into an uncertain smile.

"Well...hello there..." he spoke slowly, his voice now deep and mature.

But Astrid could not reply; she had been struck dumb by his presence.

The young woman had never felt so..._attracted_ to another human before.

Everything about him – his clothes, his figure, his face, his voice...

Blinking several times, Astrid realised that she had been staring.

"H-Hi...Hiccup," she replied with a slight stutter.

The boy began to smirk a little.

"Well, you obviously know who I am, so...refresh my memory; who exactly am I talking to?" His voice seemed to have an infuriatingly slight edge of sarcasm to it.

But even if she were imagining this, the young woman could hardly believe that Hiccup couldn't tell who she was– Had she really changed that much?

Or was he just being facetious?

"You...don't you recognise me?" The boy paused for a moment, his mouth slightly open, before shaking his head slightly.

"Almost," he replied, "you are somewhat familiar." That faint smile of derision was starting to get on her nerves.

"I should be," she snorted, somewhat irritated.

Hiccup frowned for a moment, his smirk beginning to widen a little, before he slowly opened his mouth.

"Ah yes...Astrid Hofferson. What a surprise!" Unsure of whether or not he was being serious, Astrid started to retort, but didn't get very far.

"I must, say," Hiccup cut in, "I honestly didn't expect to _ever _be seeing you again." His attitude was, somehow...indescribable, and the Viking woman couldn't tell what he was feeling.

The boy simply stood there, smiling broadly at her, his green eyes gleaming in the bleak, grey light of the entrance hall.

"Tell me," he spoke slowly, putting tremendous emphasis upon every word, "how are things back in Berk?" Astrid was a little put off by the blunt nature of the question.

"Er...well, actually, that's kind of the reason I'm here," she replied. "You see, things aren't going so well..." her voice faded away, as Hiccup started to shake his head.

"No," he laughed for a moment, before stopping dead still, the smile vanishing from his face.

"No. I don't think I can believe that." The blond woman before him was a little stunned.

"It's the truth!" Hiccup's hands clenched slightly, his face hardening a little.

"So you would have me believe," he continued in a tone disturbingly familiar, "that you came all this way just to ask for my help in sorting out a degraded village of Vikings who are destroying themselves through lack of awareness? You drove me away, and now you want my help?" His voice was rising ominously, a muscle twitching in the corner of his mouth; this was _not _the greeting Astrid had expected.

"You haven't changed a bit, _Astrid_!"

Now beginning to feel her own fury stirring, the young woman bit back her next retort; she had to sort this out peacefully– but it seemed that Hiccup would not allow that.

Now beginning to pace from side to side, the dragon-rider glared at her menacingly.

"You think I can't see what you're doing?" he spat angrily."Did you really think that I would simply submit and return with you to Berk, just place myself under your persecution again?"

"Hiccup, it's not like that!" Astrid now felt like shouting at him; the boy was being infuriatingly blind and obstructive.

"No? _No_?" Hiccup stared at her in a surprisingly good imitation of his own father's commanding attitude. "Oh, of course, I should have remembered!" He laughed mockingly. "You're Astrid Hofferson!

Just a few witty lines, a flash of beguiling beauty and a bit of good old Viking warrior charm and you've got everyone eating out of your hands!" Hiccup paused for only a second, his face cold and hard.

"Well not ME! " Willing herself to be quiet, Astrid tried desperately not to bite back and further fuel his anger, but couldn't help herself at this last insulting comment.

"Hiccup, you stubborn git, if this is how you're going to act after seven years alone, then I am not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!" But this last response tipped him right over the edge.

And this time, he didn't just lash out with words.

As quick as a flash, Hiccup reached down to his belt and drew a small sword from its sheath.

Astrid responded as any warrior would, pulling her own axe from its fastenings at her waist, just in time to block Hiccup's strike.

"_If he wants to fight,_" she thought viciously, "_then I'll show him!_" As their weapons clashed together, the young woman caught a glimpse of the boy's face beneath his long hair.

His features had twisted into a bestial snarl, and his eyes seemed glowed with menace, just as they once had seven years ago.

But, with blinding speed, Hiccup lashed out with a second blow, and it took all of Astrid's skill to parry the small blade.

With a sudden fearful thought, she realised that he could fight.

With several rapid movements, the pair threw and blocked almost a dozen strikes, the sound of their blades ringing off the high ceiling and reverberating around the dim chamber.

Astrid was a skilled fighter, well trained and disciplined, but never before had she faced the powerful combination of extreme speed, dexterity, brute force and embodied anger which now threatened to overwhelm her.

Reeling back from a series of strong strikes, the young woman found herself fighting a retreating battle.

Darting around her opponent, Astrid bumped up against a pillar, stumbling a little at the sudden impact, momentarily losing her focus on the fight.

But a moment was all Hiccup needed.

Quickly thrusting his blade forward, the young man wound the handle of his knife around the joint of Astrid's axe where metal head joined the wooden haft, and gave a powerful flick.

Feeling her axe jerk violently in her hand, the Viking warrior gripped the handle even tighter.

But this, it seemed was a mistake.

With a sudden wrench, Hiccup planted his feet firmly on the tiled floor, twisted the sword in his hand to the left, and gave a mighty shove –

And a moment later, Astrid found herself sprawling backwards, crashing to the ground, her axe spinning off over the huge mosaic, coming to a halt ten feet away.

Rolling to one side, the young woman got a brief glimpse of cold steel before something landed on her..._hard_.

Pinned to the ground, she felt the edge of a sharp blade against her throat, and looked up to see Hiccup's vivid green eyes mere inches from her own.

Slumping back on the floor, Astrid held her hands out above her head, awkwardly conscious of the way Hiccup was resting on top of her.

"Alright, y-you win!" she stammered, eyes wide with fear.

But this, it seemed was still not enough.

Hiccup clenched his teeth, pressing his short sword even tighter to her neck.

"H-Hiccup?" But Astrid could tell from the look at his face that the boy would no longer listen to her.

Every muscle in his face was taught, his eyes narrowed and full of fury.

"Why now?" he demanded suddenly, voice still laden with anger. "Why, after all this time, have you decided to walk back into my life again?" Astrid shook her head frantically, petrified by the look on his face and the sound of his enraged voice.

"I left you behind. _All_ of you," the boy continued, oblivious to the fact that his sword was almost drawing blood.

"And just as the memories finally begin to fade, you just happen to turn up to try and capture my attention yet again?" His voice was quiet and deadly now.

"_Why shouldn't I just kill you now?_ _What possible reason could you use to justify your continued existence?_ _All you ever did was make my life Hel!_"

And, for just a moment, Astrid felt that she almost deserved what was coming. It seemed so certain that he was going to do it –

A sharp bark suddenly startled them both, and Hiccup threw his gaze over his shoulder to see the great, black form of a Night Fury leaping over the fountain.

Toothless bolted straight up to them and began to gently nuzzle his nose against his rider's face.

Hiccup looked into the dragon's solemn eyes; the beast seemed almost to have a look of sadness and regret on its face.

Its ears were flattened back and its eyes were wide and glistening with what seemed to be _tears_.

"_Is it pleading for my life_?" In spite of all of her training, Astrid still found herself asking the question.

"_Please,_" she could almost see Toothless saying, "_please don't do it._ _You're better than this._"

Hiccup's eyes fell; he could no longer hold his friend's gaze.

And as the knife fell away, the boy's grip slackened, and Astrid gasped for air, massaging her throat.

Pulling herself up so that she was sitting with her back against the nearest stone pillar, she looked at Hiccup, who was now kneeling before her, his hands resting on his knees and head pointed downwards.

Toothless was gently caressing his head, purring quietly.

Astrid just sat there observing the two of them.

Then, something occurred to her; every time Hiccup had been sad, angry, or enraged at anyone at all, he had disappeared off into the woods in the direction of Raven's Point.

It seemed as though Toothless was the only being alive with the ability to calm and comfort the boy...and this kind of compassion could only be present in someone with a deep understanding of other's feelings and an even deeper level of empathy.

But, as Hiccup brought a shaking hand up to his face, Astrid received yet another shock.

He was _crying_.

But, without another word, the young man suddenly stood up, and, without another word, stormed off up the staircase, past the fountain, and disappeared through a small door on the other side of the hall, slamming it violently behind him.

"Hiccup, wait–!" she started, attempting to get up, but immediately slumped back against the cold stone pillar; her duel with the dragon rider had been utterly exhausting, and the bruises she had received upon hitting the floor now became apparent.

Every bone and muscle in her body seemed to throb with weariness.

Suddenly becoming aware that Toothless was still present, sitting back on his hind quarters the way Hiccup had left him, Astrid turned to look at the black dragon.

The Night Fury was staring at her, its ears pinned mournfully back, its eyes wide with sadness.

But she neither wanted nor needed _its _sympathy now.

"Hiccup –" she made another attempt to get up, but this time it was not her aching body which held her back, but the dragon.

The Night Fury pressed his wide nose gently but firmly against her chest, willing to her stay seated, leaning back against the pillar.

"Toothless, what are you doing?

I need to go after–" But Astrid suddenly stopped, realising that she had just directly addressed a dragon by their human-given name for the first time ever.

Warbling softly, the Night Fury nuzzled her with its warm forehead, before gently nudging her in the ribs with his snout.

Toothless then plodded slowly over to the shadowed wall, which was still faintly illuminated by the dusty rays of the setting sun, and motioned with his head for her to follow.

"Alright then..." Astrid mumbled uncertainly, forcing herself painfully to her feet and limping over to where the dragon stood, beckoning to her; it seemed her injuries were a little more that superficial.

Eyeing her pained leg with what seemed to be a guilty expression, the Night Fury then stared up into her eyes, trilling faintly.

"_Are you alright_?"

"I'll be fine..." the young woman replied with only a little honesty; she wasn't _actually_ sure if her response were true.

But if Toothless could see past her brave face, he certainly wasn't showing it, for the dragon now motioned for her to look at the wall.

"What is it?" Astrid asked curiously.

The paintings seemed to be just like the others she had seen earlier.

But, on closer examination, she got quite a shock.

These particular pictures seemed to illustrate some kind of conflict between humans and dragons, a clash of interests or cultures perhaps.

They showed fearful scenes of terrible battles fought between man and beast, of the losses suffered by both sides, of the grief and pain which each one felt.

But, almost at the end of the row of paintings, Astrid saw something which made her cringe with fear; the spine-chilling illustration of an enormous beast which towered above the humans quailing before it in fear.

This gigantic dragon was depicted letting off an immense blast of intense flames which incinerated an entire village.

The pain, terror and death visible in the eyes of its victims made Astrid shudder, and she leaned forward to examine the beast in closer detail.

The grey creature had great, ragged wings twice the size of ocean stacks, a massive, club-like tail, pale, grey eyes, and sharp spines down the length of its back its back.

Toothless brushed his nose against the painting, warbling agitatedly.

"You're...afraid of this thing?" Astrid asked surprised.

However, upon looking back at the immense monster, she saw why.

The thing was terror incarnate.

After a while longer of staring at the painting, the young woman turned back the dragon at her side.

"Why are you showing me this?" she asked curiously, but Toothless shook his head and began to walk away again, this time towards the portal through which Hiccup had fled.

"You want me to go and speak to him?" The dragon nodded solemnly.

Astrid took a deep breath, but before she could open the door, Toothless grabbed her hand in his mouth, and dragged it over to a painting directly to the right of the wooden door.

Startled at this action, the Viking wondered momentarily why she couldn't feel any teeth...there didn't seem to be any present.

"Toothless? But I could have sworn you had–" Releasing her hand only for a moment, the Night Fury held his mouth wide open to Astrid, and rapidly deployed and then retracted a sizeable set of razor-sharp incisors.

"That explains a lot!" the young woman spoke with a slight chuckle, which the dragon echoed in his own, deep rumble of a laugh.

Toothless now gently placed her hand upon what seemed to be a painting of the very castle in which she now found herself, and nudged the intricate image of the topmost tower, before gesturing back to the door.

"_That's where you'll find him_." Turning to place a hand on the door, Astrid gently stroked the Night Fury's face, taking solace in the fact the at least _he _had forgiven her for past mistakes.

The dragon purred for a few seconds, before giving her another nudge.

"_Go on._ _Be brave, and go_." It was the second time that day that she had found herself being urged on by a dragon.

With a deep breath, Astrid pushed the door wide open and walked through.

* * *

><p><em>...and here we are, safe and sound on the other side.<em>

_I know you're probably sick of seeing these words, but any and all comments, feedback and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated._

_Two weeks 'til next chapter!_

_Lumpyness._


	4. Chapter Four

_Ossim possum! Here we are again._

_Two weeks? I can't believe it! I've failed a physics test, dominated my mathematics homework, blown my brain out with German translation, and crushed chemistry since the last chapter! You lot are lucky I wrote pretty much the entire story in advance, otherwise I simply wouldn't have the time to be writing and uploading at the moment.  
><em>

_In the last chapter, Astrid finally managed to track down Hiccup with the help of a Deadly Nadder, but the young man is not at all happy to see her, and their tense conversation ends in a duel with weapons, which Astrid loses. An enraged Hiccup is then pulled back from the brink of murder by Toothless, but he flees off into the castle, leaving Astrid to meet Toothless properly. The Night Fury eventually prompts her to chase after the boy and set things right..._

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Four: Wounds of the Soul<em>

Hiccup stood on the stone terrace, staring out across the barren plateau and into the darkening horizon beyond.

The setting sun cast golden, ethereal rays through the billowing grey clouds, its dying light dancing across the cold rock of the hollow bastion in a seemingly perfect imitation of the young man's turbulent thoughts and feelings.

It were as though his own mind had simply ground to a halt, unable to comprehend the confused howl of emotions that tore at his heart like great talons of misery, rage, pain and fear.

With enormous effort, he managed to quiet the raging storm inside him, pushing its agonising screams to one side to make room for logical thought and contemplation.

But this only opened up a new feeling: guilt.

He, Hiccup, had once again fallen prey to the darkest of emotions which he had sworn would never again seize control of his mind and body and force him to commit the most dreadful of acts.

However, try as he might, the one thing, the one person he could not stop thinking about, was Astrid.

How she had _changed_.

Hiccup thought back to a time only seven years previous, although it seemed more like an entirely different life...

So much had happened that he had begun to forget his own origins and the people whom he once knew – just as he had intended.

The Astrid of his memories was a stubborn, spiteful, uncaring young woman, whose boastful nature was only matched in scale by her physical attractiveness.

But the latter of these seemed to be the one thing which had remained mercifully unaltered by the passage of time.

Indeed, seven years had done much for her, and at the ripe age of barely twenty-one, she had become a full-figured, beautiful young woman.

Hiccup felt his body wrench with the re-awakening of an old desire...

But the differences which really mattered were not to be seen by the eye, and it was only now, with the benefit of hindsight, that he really began to see how she had changed.

Throughout their entire conversation, Hiccup had treated her like she had once treated him, with scorn, derision and a callous disregard for anything she had to say, while she, Astrid, had tried her very best to stay calm and simply speak peacefully with him.

Indeed, it seemed now that Hiccup's actions had been so incredibly selfish and irrational that he didn't even deserve to be given the opportunity of apologising to her.

Astrid's newfound emotional maturity was indicative of a true change of heart, one which he should have seen and responded to in kind.

"I have to face her," Hiccup argued with himself, oblivious to the chilled breeze which now began to set in as the sun dipped lower and lower behind the vast band of clouds in the west. "I have to show her that I'm still...me." In all truth, the young man felt that the guilt of how he had treated her, what he had done to her, would destroy his mind at first opportunity...and it didn't help to think that she was now one of the most astoundingly beautiful human beings he had ever had the pleasure of setting eyes upon –

It seemed, however, that the gods were smiling upon him today, for with a sudden creaking of wood, the lone door to the spiral staircase opened slightly.

A slim figure slipped through, shutting the door gently behind it.

As Astrid moved out of the shadow of the castle turret and into the faint glow of the sunset, now mingling with the first light of evening stars, Hiccup turned away.

He couldn't bear to look at her smooth blond hair, her gorgeous face, her bright, blue eyes, her charming yet mournful smile...

The young man leant against the highest battlements of the great fortress, staring bleakly into the distance.

Astrid walked cautiously up to stand beside him, and came to a halt with her hands resting atop the hard stone of the castle walls.

They simply stood there for a while, silently acknowledging each other's presence, but refusing to make eye contact.

The atmosphere was extremely tense, with neither wanting to offend or make the other feel awkward.

Hiccup wasn't sure how long it lasted, but was glad that the silence was finally broken when Astrid found something to say.

"Magnificent view..." she murmured, gazing off towards the most distant peaks of the mountain plateau, now shrouded in evening cloud.

Fresh snow began to fall.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed quietly, fidgeting slightly with his hands.

Upon Astrid's arrival at the castle, he had hardly felt agitated at all, the anger at her sudden re-appearance in his life having held back all other emotions.

But now, he felt almost _intimidated_ by her presence.

The blond Viking gave a little laugh.

"It's a mess," she stated, voice shaking a little.

But Hiccup couldn't agree more.

It _was_ a mess; _his _mess.

And it was his responsibility to clean it up.

"Astrid –" the boy began with all the strength he could muster, forcing himself to turn and face this lovely, caring woman.

She seemed to do exactlythe same.

"Hiccup –" The pair immediately stopped, before Astrid bit her lip, a slight grin forming at the corner of her mouth.

Hiccup turned away again, amused at their simultaneity, yet frustrated by this lost opportunity.

"You go first," he said quietly.

"No, no _you_ go first," she replied, but the young man shot her a queer look.

"_Please_?" she added, and Hiccup sighed in acquiescence.

"I'm sorry –" he began, but once again got no further.

"I'm going to have to stop you there," Astrid butted in, and Hiccup's eyebrows shot up.

"Why?" he asked curiously, staring at her and feeling slightly irritated.

"No reason, I just have to stop you," the young woman replied, and Hiccup's stare of confusion intensified; _this _Viking was not normally one to play games with words.

Astrid tried to smile, but faltered upon seeing the young man's outraged, yet slightly amused face.

"I-It's a joke," she stammered, trying to keep her voice steady. "A little...'Hiccup humour'...I-I thought you might appreciate it –" But now it was Astrid's turn to look outraged, as Hiccup snorted and then burst out laughing, but for entirely the wrong reason; he was not laughing with her, but _at _her.

And it felt good; Hiccup had not laughed in a _very_ long time.

The Astrid he had once known would have sooner leapt down a Monstrous Nightmare's throat in order to single-handedly retrieve Fishlegs' lost dragon diary than try and imitate Hiccup's own highly individual and specialised style of humour.

Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, Hiccup tried to speak, but simply keeled over, howling with laughter at what she had just said.

And it wasn't just what she had said, but the fact that _she_, of all people, had said it _now_, of all times.

Nevertheless, Hiccup did appreciate her accidental parody of his jokes, however not for the reason she had hoped.

Straightening up, the boy sniffed a few times, looking Astrid in the eyes, and noticing that she too was now on the verge of laughter.

"Stop it!" she whined, trying desperately to seem mad, but failing dismally and only adding to the humour of an already side-splittingly funny situation.

"No no no NO!" Hiccup cried, finally managing to stem the tide of laughter which now threatened to engulf him once again. "That's not how it's done! You can't just spontaneously pull something like that out of the blue and expect it to be funny! The joke has to fit the mood!" Indeed, with these words the mood changed quite rapidly, both humans suddenly realising that, not half an hour ago, they had been at each other's throats, fighting viciously with anger and passion.

The whole unintentional-joke-parody situation suddenly seemed highly inappropriate.

"Right, will you let me finish this time?" Hiccup asked with a hint of sarcasm, and Astrid nodded, replying in kind.

The atmosphere had returned to its pre-failed-joke state, albeit somewhat lighter than before.

"I'm sorry for...attacking you, losing my temper, not listening to what you had to say, being a _complete_ _f_ –" he began to reel off, but Astrid stopped him again.

"Alright, I said I wouldn't, but I'm going to have to stop you again," she said with a deep breath, already holding up a hand to pacify Hiccup's irritated response.

"Why?" he droned wearily.

"Because it isn't necessary –"

"It is!" Hiccup simply couldn't stop himself; to come all this way, and finally summon up the courage for a real, meaningful apology, only have it fobbed off and dismissed as trivial was more than he could bear.

But, once again, the simple action of Astrid holding up a single, calming hand was enough to stop Hiccup dead in his tracks.

"It isn't," she spoke quietly, "because I've already forgiven you." This, more than anything else, was what Hiccup had been craving for so long.

Even so, the stakes of guilt still drove deep into his heart, piercing and penetrating with enough force to make him bite his lip in anguish.

"I'm not so sure I can accept that," he replied, turning away again, "and notfor the reasons you think." Hiccup could tell that Astrid's next question was already forming in her mouth, and so he jumped in ahead. "Only because..." It took more courage than the boy thought he had in him to confess. "What scares me most right now is the thought of what would have happened had Toothless not...intervened precisely when he did."

That was it.

He'd really struck a sensitive nerve this time.

Out of the corner of his eye Hiccup saw the young woman reach up to nervously rub her throat.

"Hiccup, you can't dwell on that thought; think of what it could do to you!" she practically cried out at him.

The boy clenched his fists in anger.

This was just what he needed, more pointless advice –"And don't go around blaming yourself for what _could _have happened either –"

"What?" Hiccup reeled round to face her, eyes wide with shock.

Of all the daft things that they had said so far that evening, this was by far the most ridiculous.

"Well whose fault is it then?" he demanded angrily.

Astrid hesitated for only a moment before giving her reply.

"Mine," she stated simply and clearly, sending Hiccup's thoughts reeling.

"_She's blaming herself for my weaknesses?_" the boy thought wildly, but once again, the blond Viking held up that single becalming hand, effectively silencing his infuriated mind.

"Hiccup, think about it," she spoke quickly, allowing the boy no time to interrupt. "Who never accepted you simply for who you were as a child? Who poured scorn and slander onto you without remorse every time you did anything even slightly out of the ordinary? Who drove you to such levels of estrangement and loneliness that your only escape was in the friendship of a _dragon_? And who, I ask, was then directly responsible for your complete rejection by the other Vikings of our village and your immediate exile from Berk? Who, Hiccup?" Astrid finished fiercely, her voice beginning to shake with feelings as yet unvoiced, leaving Hiccup battered and bewildered.

Turning back to face out over the battlements, the young woman slammed her hand down angrily on the cold stone, now so dim and grey in the evening twilight that almost no detail could be made out.

"Which is why," she stammered quietly, eyes sparkling with emotion, "_I'm_ the one who should be apologising...not you." And without another word, she began to cry quietly, great shining tears gushing down her cheeks.

It took Hiccup only a moment to force himself out of his stunned state of inaction.

Before him stood tough, stubborn Astrid Hofferson, now broken down into pained sobs of anguished guilt, silently pouring her heart out for the whole world to see.

The hardy Viking warrior was now more vulnerable, more open than he had ever seen her before, completely disarmed and at his mercy.

And before Hiccup knew what he was doing, he stepped forward, taking the distraught girl in his arms, and held her tight.

Gently stroking her flowing, blond hair, the boy mused a little space, as Astrid cried quietly into his shoulder, heaving with emotion, her body wracked by intense sobs.

Hiccup had no idea how long they spent there out on that lonely balcony, with the cold night air whipping around them, the occasional snowflake lighting on the young woman's fair hair.

From far in the east the moon slowly began to rise, the magnificent orb in full splendour, illuminating the barren landscape around the castle with silver rays of purest light.

And although fresh snow was finally starting for fall on the great mountain plateau, the merciful absence of clouds meant that the great fortress was still bathed in the white beams of the heavenly body which floated so far above.

Hiccup shivered a little.

"Oh, I'm..." Astrid spoke suddenly, still crying a little, "I'm s-sorry for all...we should really go inside! I-It's...I'm keeping you out here in t-the cold, and–"

"It's fine," the young man cut in over her guilty stuttering."Absolutely fine..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at the woman held tightly in his arms.

As Astrid turned her head up to stare at him, Hiccup gave her a slight smile, as great waves of peace and calmness began to dull his senses, obliterating all but the simplest of thoughts and feelings.

Freed at last from the torturous shackles of inner torment, the young man simply stood there, enjoying the moment.

Astrid had reminded him what it was like to really feel.

But the moment did not last, as Astrid suddenly pulled away, wiping her eyes a little distractedly, and now also shivering in the evening chill.

Refusing to meet his eyes, the Viking woman bowed her head.

"Wow," she spoke quietly, "I...really didn't expect that to happen." And in truth, neither had Hiccup.

For a little while there, Astrid had showed that she was, underneath all that heavy Viking warrior drapery, still a woman, while Hiccup had showed that he was at the very least still _human_.

Both were back to their old selves, and acting like the '_moment of weakness_' had never happened, acting as though nothing had changed...well, almost.

"_Ouch_!" Hiccup flinched as the blond Viking punched him hard in the shoulder.

Rubbing his aching arm with his other hand, he shied away, afraid of what might next be coming his way.

But the boy quickly realised that there was no malicious intent behind this blow whatsoever, as upon glancing with outrage at Astrid, he realised that she was grinning cheekily.

"_That's _for beating me!" she said with mock anger.

Hiccup let out a slight laugh, uncertain of what she meant by this little ploy; Astrid simply stood there for a moment, passing a hand across her face to remove a couple of errant strands of hair, not meeting his gaze.

But no more thought was required at all, for the young woman suddenly stood up on her toes, reaching up to his face, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek –

Crash!

The mighty boom of wood against stone made both humans jump with fright, as Toothless made his entrance known to the whole mountain.

Bursting through the door with quite a bit of vigour for a cold blooded beast at such high altitudes, the Night Fury sat on the top step of the spiral staircase, wagging his tail eagerly and holding a lighted torch in his gummy mouth.

The bright, yellow glow of the open flame blinded the pair of humans for several seconds.

"Way to go, bud!" Hiccup laughed, just as the wind began to pick up, blowing a great gust of snow into all of their faces. "I think you might have woken even old Helga back at Berk with that racket!" All of a sudden, the cold evening breeze became a roaring gale of freezing sleet and ice.

"Shall we go inside?" Hiccup yelled out over the pounding of the storm.

"Gladly!" he heard Astrid shout in reply, and the pair of them ducked past Toothless and down into the descending tower staircase, Hiccup stopping only momentarily to close and lock the door behind him.

"Whew!" he gasped, as the clicking of the latch deadened the sound of the raging snowstorm outside.

The spiral staircase was eerily dark, the only light present coming from the lighted torch in Toothless' mouth, which still bravely danced and flickered, casting bright yellow apparitions across the cold stone.

"The weather really is quite unpredictable up here –" Hiccup was cut short, as Astrid reached up to touch his head.

"What are you –"

"You've got some snow just...there!" she brushed the cold snowflakes with a single flick of the wrist, and Hiccup felt a great swooping sensation in his stomach that had nothing to do with the growing hunger now present in his gut.

Astrid gave him a slight smile.

Toothless dropped the torched.

As the burning wood sprayed hot ash and cinders all over the steps, the lighted stick began to bounce and tumble down the staircase, and the deep shadows danced around wildly.

"Rats!" Hiccup exclaimed, dashing downwards after the glowing torch.

Thankfully, the dratted thing didn't manage to get too far before the Hiccup pounced upon it.

Carefully picking the torch up, the young man walked back up the staircase, simultaneously trying not to burn himself on the smouldering wood and keeping the flame from going out.

"I got it! Come on down" As the other two descended to meet back up with him, Hiccup glared at Toothless; the dragon's head was flicking rapidly between the two humans, his eyes wide.

"Yes Toothless, _thank you _for bringing us the torch!" Hiccup growled at his friend, earning himself a reproachful stare from the Night Fury.

Astrid gave a slight chuckle.

"You two..." she spoke out loud a few minutes later, just as the group finally reached the bottom of the staircase.

Both the dragon and his rider stared at her with confusion.

"What?" asked Hiccup, pushing open the door to the east hall.

"Well..." Astrid pondered slowly, choosing her words carefully, "you just seem like any ordinary pair of friends." The young man raised a dubious eyebrow, while Toothless stared at her incredulously.

"Hmm...I wonder _why_?" Hiccup returned sarcastically, trying desperately to keep the patronising tone out of his voice.

"Well that's...just the thing!" Astrid seemed to be really struggling with something. "You're a human...and...he's a dragon! If only it could have been like this – this simple, when I met that Nadder earlier today..."

"Alright, you didn't mention that before!" Hiccup spoke with a frown, wheeling round to face her.

"What Nadder?"

"Maybe the reason I didn't mention it before," Astrid replied pointedly, "was because _you_ were either too busy being mad at me, or putting up with my little..._breakdown_."

"I get the point," Hiccup said drily. "_What Nadder_?"

"Well," the blond Viking began with a sigh, as the trio made their way along a dark corridor, lined with low windows and what seemed to be countless suits of armour, "While I was walking up the mountain earlier today, I was, for want of a better word, _confronted _by a Deadly Nadder. I think it was possibly the same one which we used to keep in the training pens back at Berk."

"So how did it get _here_?"

"Must have followed me, I guess.

I thought I heard something flying behind me a few times before –"

"No, no, you misunderstand me." Hiccup shook his head, opening yet another door for them to walk through.

"Can I interrupt for just a second?" Astrid asked, awkwardly holding up her hand.

"You just did," the boy replied with a grin.

"What is it?"

"Where are we going?"

"The main hall. We haven't got much further to go now...it's where I usually sleep."

"Fair enough..."

"But there's something else I'd like to show you first, if...that is, if you're interested."

"Well, I guess that depends on what it is."

By and by, the three of them entered one last room, that which joined the main hall to the entrance chamber.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, Hiccup saw that his human companion was marvelling at the exquisite and numerous tapestries which hung from the walls like great mats of rainbow ivy adorning ancient, long-forgotten ruins.

"This is it," he announced, coming to a halt.

"What?" Astrid asked, casting him a curious look, apparently unable to detach her eyes from the delicate shades and shapes adorning the immense fabric masterpieces.

"The story of this place...and, in a way, of all of us."

The young woman's head snapped round to look at him.

"Of _us_?" she asked incredulously.

Hiccup nodded silently, before motioning for her to stand to one side as he walked up to the first set of images lining the cold, stone walls of the small chamber.

He held his torch up not so close as to set alight the delicate fabrics, but near enough such that its golden glow illuminated every last pinprick of detail.

"It took me a while to figure out exactly what everything meant, and I'm still not entirely sure what certain pictures are trying to get across, but I'll do my best to tell the story as accurately as possible." He finished on a solemn note, and Astrid nodded.

"Long ago, the last people of a once great civilisation travelled here from the far south, fleeing a horrific catastrophe of some kind. Now..." he indicated to the first tapestry, which seemed to depict an endless line of humans trudging along a barren, lifeless road, while far behind them immense clouds of billowing smoke rose up to the heavens, punctured by sharp tongues intense fire.

"As far as I can tell, there are no remaining records of what befell these people, but that's not the point. Their tale really begins when they decided to settle here, in the far north, not only on this particular mountain range, but also on the surrounding islands."

The young man cleared his throat before continuing.

"These last remnants of the southern civilisation may have lost their homes and many, many loved ones, but what survived in the hearts of those who escaped what the writings seem to refer to as '_Der Fall_', or The Fall, brought with them the full extent of their culture, not to mention their skills as terrific builders." Hiccup casually motioned to the ceiling.

"They constructed this fortress as a means to defend themselves, should the echoes of The Fall ever catch up with them –"

"So where are they now?" Astrid interrupted, her eyes wide with intrigue.

"Patience, lass, patience!" Hiccup growled in a gruff imitation of Gobber's irritable voice, making the young woman before him giggle. "You'll find out soon enough!"

Clearing his throat once again, Hiccup continued as though no-one had said anything.

"As time went by, the many villages slowly began to forget their common origins, instead becoming more and more independent, and distancing themselves in particular from the occupants of this castle, whom they regarded as archaic and socially decrepit." He smiled slightly.

"They _also _began to come into conflict with...can you guess? The writings refer to them as '_Die Drachen_', or –"

"Dragons!" cut in Astrid, and Hiccup nodded.

"Yes indeed. Dragons. It seemed that as these hardy villages grew and expanded, pushing into new territory, the dragons felt that their land was being stolen by these invaders – and rightly so." Astrid frowned, but Hiccup waggled a reproachful finger.

"Think about how you would feel if, for example, the Bog Burglars suddenly attacked Berk, driving everyone away claiming your land as their own." The young woman's frown lessened, but only a little, and Hiccup could guess why.

"However," he continued "it seems that the occupants of this castle were possibly the only group of humans living this far north who had any kind of peaceful relationship with the dragons." Hiccup moved along to the next picture, one Astrid seemed to recognise.

It depicted the meeting of man and beast upon an endless field of ice.

"Many formed particularly strong bonds, and there are instances of humans flying atop the dragons. It seemed that...it _seems_ that a dragon with a human rider has flying abilities which surpass those of their so-called 'unburdened' brethren. This is also my experience, but I can't be sure; I've never seen another Night Fury, one that I could compare Toothless to, and every kind of dragon is different from the others in numerous ways, one of the biggest of which is aerial speed and agility." He scratched Toothless' ears absent-mindedly, and the black dragon purred affectionately.

"Now, it seems that this period of peace and friendship between these two co-existing groups lasted quite some time, roughly two-hundred years or so." Hiccup walked twenty almost feet down the chamber, almost to the far wall, with Astrid and the Night Fury right behind him.

The Viking woman seemed utterly mesmerised.

"There are constant references made to the fact that the lifespan of a dragon is similar to that of a human, and there are frequent cases mentioned where a dragon and their rider died side by side, having become friends when they were both very young."

"However..." Hiccup felt a tiny knot of fear twinge in the pit of his stomach.

"It did not last."

The young man motioned with his head for Astrid to walk over and take a good look at the next painting, and Hiccup was not surprised to see her flinch with shock.

Before them was a massive picture of a colossal dragon, its size put into perspective by the tiny black specks of the countless humans which fled before the beasts ferocious maw.

The monster was depicted roaring to the sky, its huge, grey form covered in evil spines, each one large enough to sink a ship.

This sharp coat of spiky mail was tipped with bloody red.

"This," Hiccup spoke solemnly, "is what I have come to call the Red Death, an ancient, huge and highly aggressive kind of dragon. It is this monster which is responsible for the destruction of the peaceful relationship between humans and dragons."

Astrid ran a timid hand over the Red Death's huge form, eyes darting from side to side, taking in every detail.

"I'm not entirely sure how," continued Hiccup, "but the arrival of this thing from the Far East caused the dragons already here to rise up and actively attack the humans. The island villages were attacked and burned to the ground by immense hordes of hundreds upon _hundreds_ of dragons." Astrid bit her lip.

"It seems that the occupants of this castle decided to leave before the fighting came to them." Hiccup moved along to the last tapestry, which appeared somewhat rushed in comparison to the others, and it seemed fairly obvious why.

Similar in style to the very first picture, this last image depicted a long line of humans leaving the gates of the very fortress in which they now stood, and heading off south over the mountain plateau.

The tones and colours used seemed to throb with misery and hopelessness, the sky in the picture painted with the dark brown-orange of a war-torn sunset.

"And that's that." Hiccup turned to smile sadly at Astrid.

"There are no records of where these people went. My guess is back south, but we can never know for sure." Astrid took a deep breath, apparently somewhat unnerved by the captivating yet tragic tale.

"But hold on..." she spoke at length, "you said that the dragon attacked the island villages–"

"And destroyed _all _of them, slaughtering the inhabitants. I don't think they left anyone alive." Hiccup finished her sentence for her. "I guess that would have been around...three hundred and fifty years ago...just before the arrival of Vikings."

Now turning to face Astrid directly, the brown-haired boy gave her a serious look.

"I'm telling you all this, Astrid, because I think that you, of all people will now understand me when I say that humans and dragons could still be friends." But the Viking woman smiled at him.

"You know what's funny?" she said with a smile. "If that's what you wanted, then you _actually_ didn't need to go through all of this..." And the young woman proceeded to tell him of her encounter with the Deadly Nadder earlier that day.

"You didn't think to mention this _before_?" Hiccup exclaimed incredulously once she had finished.

"I started to, but...we got sidetracked!" The boy sighed with exasperation, but this feeling of annoyance did not last, and was almost immediately replaced by a joyous smile.

"Astrid, that's...that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, and the young woman before him smiled, staring down at her feet.

"To think that..." he started, before suddenly realising that what he had been about to say could have come across in quite an odd fashion.

"Oh never mind...come on!

My, er..._room_ is through here." He motioned to the door at the end of the chamber, which stood slightly ajar.

"Are you hungry?" Astrid smiled enthusiastically.

"Ooh yes!"

* * *

><p><em>Think you can see where the tale is going? The end of this story may not be what you think! ...or will it.<em>

_Two weeks people!_

_Lumpyness.  
><em>


	5. Chapter Five

_Okey-dokey people, I'm sure you don't mind having this chapter a day early. I simply want to get it done so I have Sunday afternoon free for study...it's really starting to pile up!_

_Which brings me to my next point. We are currently around half way through part 2 of the story. At the end of part 3, there might be a break for a few months while I prepare the first sequel, as I'm already falling behind on the writing due to my increasing university workload._

_Fear not! The story will continue regardless, but you may have a little while to wait. Also, I have plans to speed up my upload rate once part 3 is done, so perhaps in a few months or so..._

_In the last chapter, a tormented Hiccup found comfort in Astrid's arms, while the latter took another step on the road to forgiving herself for the village's treatment of Hiccup seven years ago. While heading back down to the Great Hall of the castle, Hiccup stops along to way to teach Astrid about the history of not only the castle but also the islands around and why the northern dragons attack the human settlements. After a lengthy historical talk, dinner was served!  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Five: The Return Journey<em>

Shifting sorely onto one side, Astrid groaned.

Her sleep laden eyes opened slowly, blinking in the dusty light.

It took the young woman several seconds to remember exactly where she was, and even longer to figure out how she had got there.

The air inside the dim castle seemed to bite at her exposed extremities with its icy chill, and Astrid whisked her hands back under the fur blankets, where the many layers which Hiccup had forced upon her kept her deliciously warm and cosy.

Oddly enough, the injuries which she had received over the course of the past week no longer seemed to be bothering her.

The bite from the Icebolt dragon back at Berk was now no more than a fading scar, and even her stiff, aching muscles and multiple bruises were paining her far less than she had expected.

There was something about this place that was almost...magical.

With a huge yawn, she began to think back to the previous night.

"_Do you mind stew? That's all I've got prepared – sorry_."

"_Stew's fine! What sort is it?_"

"_Lamb and mushroom...is that all right?_"

"_Sounds fabulous!_"

Astrid's mouth began to water at the thought of that exquisitely smooth and creamy soup as she thought to herself "_Boy can he cook!_"

Hiccup had made himself a right little kitchen in the main hall of the castle, with a gigantic stone table down the centre, an open fireplace upon which to roast whatever you pleased, and half a dozen aging wooden chairs.

"_I wouldn't sit on those, if I were you!_" The boy laughed. "_I don't think they'd support your weight!_" His smiled vanished instantly, as he realised what he had said. "_Not that I think you're...overweight or anything, I just...what I meant was they're not really suitable for anyone to sit on; you aren't at all overweight, your absolutely fine..._"

His voice trailed off at the amused look on Astrid's face, and Hiccup immediately turned away to prepare dinner, but not before Astrid had seen him go bright red in the face.

After eating, the had spent the rest of the evening conversing about nothing in particular, with idle chat being the sole beneficiary of most of what they had had to say.

Hiccup did most of the talking; he was full of interesting tales involving games of thrones in far foreign lands, and Astrid was content to merely sit on the stone table and listen.

Oddly enough, he didn't seem willing to talk about his own adventures over the past seven years, but Astrid didn't press him to speak; he must have his reasons for remaining silent.

It almost seemed like the boy had been missing human company, and even though he and Toothless shared a very close bond, Hiccup clearly relished the opportunity to recount all of the stories that _he_ had heard in his later teenage years, growing up away from his home village.

"_You know,_" Astrid said much later at night, when the fire had started to burn low and everyone was starting to feel particularly drowsy, "_I kind of..._"

She paused, unsure of whether or not their newfound friendship could take such a large step forward in its infancy. "_Actually, never mind._"

"_What?_"

"_Really, never mind..._"

"_Astrid you can't start a sentence like that and not expect me to become curious. I promise I won't...oh I don't know, jump up and start screaming if it's something insulting or whatever._" The young woman sighed.

"_I wanted to...look, Hiccup, don't take this the wrong way, but the main reason I came here was to...try and convince you to come back to Berk with me._"

Hiccup's tired smile instantly vanished, and was replaced by a look of cold indifference, which was certainly worse than any amount of jumping or screaming.

"_Hiccup, the village is falling apart!_" Astrid cut in as he opened his mouth angrily to speak. "_No-one comes to any kind of tribe meeting anymore!__ Individual families just bar their doors at night and hope that the dragons won't attack! Even your dad is –"_

"_Alright alright, I get it!_" Hiccup looked away furiously. "_And how exactly would I be able to help?_" This was exactly the kind of question she had been hoping he would ask.

"_The whole problem is the dragons! I mean that if you could somehow bring peace between the Vikings and them, then anything is possible! I believe that it really would bring the village back together._"

"_That would be nice..._" Hiccup replied bitterly, and the pair sat there in silence for a couple of minutes.

"_Do you realise what you're asking me to do, Astrid?_" he demanded at length. "_There's a reason I left Berk in the first place –"_

"_I know – for Thor's sake, Hiccup I know! I was part of that reason!_" The boy's face softened a little at the sad tone which had now entered Astrid's voice."_But...can you trust me when I say that things will be different this time?_"

Hiccup gave this a few minutes thought, before turning to Toothless, whom he was using as a seat, while Astrid had sat sipping water on one of the stone chairs.

"_What do you say, bud_?" He asked. "_Will we give it another try_?" Toothless had just yawned, apparently somewhat bored with the humans' conversation.

"_Alright,_" Hiccup had at last acquiesced, and Astrid had felt a great wave of inner satisfaction wash over her. "_But no guarantees on the whole peace-with-the-dragons-thing_!"...

* * *

><p>Astrid awoke for the second time that morning, and rather suddenly too; she had drifted back off to sleep thinking about Hiccup...<p>

Focusing her befuddled eyes on the sleeping figure of Toothless, she could just make out the vague shape of his rider's body through the gloom.

The morning sun must have still been creeping up over the horizon, for barely a single pinprick of light found its way into the great hall.

The chamber was, nevertheless, illuminated by the pre-dawn glow of the deep blue sky.

And it was through this grey half-light that she now examined Hiccup's resting form, staring mesmerised into his shadowed face.

Although the boy's eyes were still hidden by that unruly mop of brown hair, Astrid could see...something...some inner unrest, a kind of permanent emotional tension built up within.

The scars of the past did not heal so easily, it seemed.

Having realised that there wasn't enough bedding to go around, Hiccup had gone without the previous night.

"_No, no I insist! I can keep warm by Toothless; his wings are as good as any blanket!_"

"_Are you sure?_"

"_Absolutely!_

_You have it_ _all_." Astrid eyed him suspiciously; such generosity was never _ever_ present among most Vikings when keeping warm at night was involved.

But, then again, she was quickly coming to realise that Hiccup wasn't '_most Vikings_'...

"_Alright then..._" she gave in.

The boy then simply lay back against Toothless, nestling in under the dragon's cosy wings.

"_Goodnight, Astrid,_" he said with a smile before closing his eyes.

He had the most _charming_ smile...

"_Goodnight...Hiccup._"

Finally beginning to get just a little bored of lying there, thinking and fantasising, Astrid slowly began to slide out from underneath the mass of fur bedding and dress herself.

But she didn't get very far before one of her sleeping companions began to stir.

Toothless' eyes opened wide, blinking off their weariness in an instant, before the Night Fury turned his head to stare at Astrid's half-naked form.

And, in spite of the fact that Toothless wasn't exactly a _human_, the Viking woman felt somewhat agitated at his soft, round eyes peering openly at her through the dusty half-light; he still had a consciousness as real and alive as her own, after all.

The extreme cold was preventing her from clothing herself at full speed, and with a sudden jolt of nervousness, it occurred to her that, if Toothless had awoken, then so too might Hiccup sooner or later.

"Good morning Toothless!" she whispered, and the dragon nodded in acknowledgement of her greeting.

"I'd appreciate it," she said with a polite smile, "if you wouldn't stare." Astrid could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes at these words.

"And also," she continued, still smiling, "if you wouldn't wake Hiccup up until _after_ I'm fully dressed –" The young woman was still pulling on her undergarments, but Toothless suddenly started to lick his rider's face, as thought desperately trying to disturb the sleeping boy.

"Toothless no! _No_!" she hissed, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Gah! What...what do you want, bud?" Hiccup grumbled, waking fitfully from his shallow sleep.

The blonde immediately dived for the heap of blankets on the ground, and reached it only just in time.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes, yawning loudly.

Peering round through the gloom, his eyes settling upon Astrid's prone figure, now hidden beneath the fur layers with which he had provided her the previous night.

"Good morning, you!" he mumbled sleepily, and she smiled back at him, somewhat unnerved.

Toothless snorted.

"Hey, umm...Hiccup, could you please...look away for just a few minutes longer?" The young man blinked a few times.

"Why?" he asked bluntly, and Astrid sighed.

"I was in the middle of...getting dressed, when _Toothless _here decided he'd like to wake you up." Through the gloom, it seemed as though the Night Fury was smiling cheekily at her.

"Umm...right, sure." Hiccup closed his eyes, rolling over into a more comfortable position underneath the dragon's warm wing.

"You too, _shameless_!" Astrid hissed irritably at the smirking black beast.

Toothless rolled his eyes in an astoundingly accurate imitation of his rider's sarcastic attitude, before also shifting his head to look in the other direction.

"Alright, all done!" spoke Astrid brightly a few minutes later, and Toothless batted an eyelid, before turning back to stare at her, still smirking.

Doing her best to ignore the cheeky dragon, the young woman called over "Hiccup?" Wondering why the boy wasn't responding any more, Astrid began to walk over to his innate form, but stopped, upon hearing a very strange sound, a deep rumbling noise, growing louder and louder.

Hiccup gone back to sleep...and was _snoring_.

Trying very hard not to laugh, the young woman sighed, her stomach rumbling with hunger, and began to collect up her various belongings.

The place certainly required a little tidying up...

* * *

><p>"Ahhhhh..." Hiccup awoke for the second with an enormous yawn, stretching his arms high above his head.<p>

Astrid glanced at him, smiling a little; the boy looked even cuter now, especially now that she could see him in the bright light of morning.

But Toothless was finally fed up with serving as bed, blanket and pillow for the boy and stood up rather suddenly.

"...Ahhhhh – ouch!" he yelled, turfed out of his comfortable position under the Night Fury's wing.

"What was that for?" he grumbled angrily, and Toothless gave a great bark of a laugh.

Picking himself up off the cold stone floor, Hiccup rubbed his head and gazed around dazedly, until his eyes came to rest on Astrid, who was smiling down at him rather amusedly, still holding a pile of his clothes.

"You," she said quietly, trying not to laugh, "_really _need to wash more often." The odour of his various clothing items was nothing short of atrocious, and Astrid had no idea how the dragon could put up with it.

Nevertheless, she found it somehow immensely satisfying cleaning it all up and getting the great stinking mess in one place, where she could deal with it.

Hiccup gulped.

"Is it really that bad...?" he asked, seemingly a little intimidated, and Astrid found herself smirking like Toothless.

"Oh, you bet it is!"

Suddenly, the whole situation seemed very awkward.

Toothless stood there, eyes wide, head darting rapidly from one human to the other.

Astrid looked away pointedly, still smiling a little, still with an armful of Hiccup's various garments.

Hiccup stared at the...well, Astrid wasn't too sure whether he was looking at the clothes, or –

"Umm, I'll – I'll take care of those, if you like..." Hiccup broke the silence, moving to take the clothes from her.

"Yeah, sure..." Astrid noticed that the boy was very cautious around her now, rarely looking at her or saying anything even slightly out of the ordinary.

Even taking the clothes from her, he was careful not to touch her at all.

What made the situation even more awkward was that she felt exactly the same way.

The next little while was spent in complete silence, with Hiccup cooking breakfast (which smelled incredible!), and his guest pottering around the place arranging things here and there into a more orderly fashion.

By and by, Hiccup broke the silence.

"So, did you want to head back to Berk _sooner_ or _later_?" Although the question had been bound to arise at some stage, Astrid had not actually bothered to give it any thought.

"Sooner, I think," she said after a moment's consideration, "but only if that works for you..." Hiccup looked up from his work at the fire to give her a fleeting smile.

"Toothless and I are ready anytime."

"Are you sure? It's just that..." Astrid felt somewhat guilty at the thought that she might once again be submitting him to unjust persecution at the hands of her fellow Vikings, but ploughed on ahead nonetheless with justifying her choice.

"I got the feeling that your dad was kind of close to...well, doing something stupid –"

"I thought that's what _I _did," Hiccup laughed, and Astrid couldn't help but smile.

"You did do crazy stuff as well..." she said quietly.

Toothless was smirking again.

"Alrighty, breakfast is served!" the chef announced a few minutes later, and Astrid felt her stomach rumble once again; it seemed as though her insides might eat _themselves_ sooner or later if not placated with something.

Placing her last armful of various bits and bobs which Hiccup had left lying around the place into a corner with the rest of his contraptions, she hurried over to the fireplace, where Hiccup was ladling large amounts of what looked like some interesting boiled cereal into wooden bowls.

And the _smell_...oh, it was to die for!

So enchanted by the delicious odour was she, that the young woman didn't even notice for a moment that the cook was holding a bowl out for her to take.

"What _is_ this?" Astrid asked enthusiastically, her face lit up with joy.

"This, my dear, is commonly known as _porridge_. It's made from a grain I..._acquired _further south, called oats. It's tremendously filling, so do take your time with eating –" Hiccup tried to explain.

But Astrid was already digging in to the delightful mush with vigour.

"Itf incwedible!" she exclaimed, mouth filled with the delicious stuff.

Hiccup smiled, now serving himself some.

"I thought you might like it."

After around twenty minutes of solid eating, during which the young woman went back for two more helpings, something else occurred to her.

"Hiccup, how in Midgard did you get all this stuff here? I hope you aren't expecting to bring it all back to –"

"Certainly not!" Hiccup laughed, raising his spoon to his mouth.

"We'll be travelling light, with only the necessities, and should be able to make it to Berk in just an hour or two." Astrid gagged on her mouthful, choking and spluttering, while Hiccup stared around guiltily, and Toothless grunted his amusement while chomping down a huge pile of fish.

"How..." she gasped, trying to clear her throat, her eyes watering, but the young man finished her sentence for her. "How do you travel so fast?" Astrid nodded.

"Just you wait and see!"

Finishing their meals, the two humans had quickly cleaned their pots and pans, but not after a lengthy dispute.

"_No, Hiccup, you've done enough already._

_Let me take care of that and you can –"_

"_Oh come on!_

_I'm the host, so it's my responsibility to –"_

"_Look, surely you don't mind having someone clean up after you for a change –"_

"_That's_ _not the point, Astrid!_

_It –"_

"_Yes it is!_

_And besides, I'm a woman, I'm not meant to mind this kind of..._" she trailed off at the shocked look on Hiccup's face.

"_What – _?"

"_Astrid, how can you still think like that? No Viking should ever expect their wife to clean up after them!_" The awkward silence which followed this statement could have been cut with a knife.

A little while later again while they were preparing to leave, again Astrid found herself tremendously fascinated by the routine with which Hiccup saddled the Night Fury in preparation for the flight.

And the strangest part about it was that Toothless had looked like wearing the harness was his favourite thing in the world.

"_It lets him retain of the power of flight, you see,_" Hiccup tried to explain.

"_I don't know if you understand –"_

"_If what you mean is that, for a dragon, the ability to fly is...oh, you know what I mean, all important, then yes, I get it_." Five minutes on, the black dragon was fully saddled, and eager to get going.

Shaking his flanks, Toothless had let his tongue loll, his eyes following Hiccup's every move as the young man had dashed about frantically, making sure that he had everything sorted.

At one point, Astrid caught him staring wistfully up at the great paintings which lined the high, stone walls.

Realising that she was watching him, Hiccup turned to smile sadly at her.

"_I'm going to miss this place._" Astrid bowed her head. "_And the scariest part about it is,"_ he continued, _"I have no idea how long I'm going to be gone for..._"

Having finally made sure that everything was packed away into corners, with only the necessary clothes and snacks strapped into packs on Toothless' back, Hiccup signalled with a nod and a grimace that he was ready.

The three of them left the great hall, walking silently down the still corridors, before arriving at the entrance hall.

Astrid looked around at the many paintings lining the walls, at the beautiful, though dried-up fountain, and at the tall stone pillars.

In spite of having spent less than a day in the place, the great, hollow bastion had taken a quiet, happy place in her heart.

"It grows on you, doesn't it?" asked Hiccup with a smile, upon noticing that _she _was now also staring around wistfully.

"It does," Astrid replied, placing huge emphasis on her response; it was somewhat annoying that the boy could tell so easily what she was thinking.

Walking over to the main portal, Hiccup pushed the door wide open for Toothless to walk outside, both of them blinking in the bright light of late morning.

Following the pair of them outside, Astrid marvelled at the immense amounts of snow which had fallen overnight.

The landscape had been completely transformed, with only the tallest of mountain peaks still visible under the thick, white blanket which now covered the rocky plateau.

Thankfully, the castle gates stood directly underneath a large kind of balcony or overhang covered in stone gargoyles, and the door had not been completely bogged under.

"They knew what they were doing, those ancients..." Hiccup chimed in between Astrid's thoughts.

"Clever, clever builders...Alright, all set?"

Bringing her gaze back round to Hiccup and Toothless, the young woman saw that they were both standing, looking at her, waiting for her.

She smiled, and walked over to them.

"I'm ready."

And without another word, the dragon rider leaped fluidly up into the saddle, placing his feet carefully in the stirrups and attaching a small metal hook from the Night Fury's saddle to his harness.

Despite having ridden a dragon once before and having not found it particularly terrifying, Astrid felt a great rush of anxiety at the prospect which she now faced.

Before her stood a Night Fury, the most feared of all dragons known to Viking kind, with an outcast sitting astride it, inviting her to ride with him among the clouds.

Hiccup simply sat there, holding out his hand to her, smiling gently, while Toothless huffed, rolling his eyes and refusing to look around in her direction.

Astrid returned the boy's smile with her own, uncertain grin, but still found herself hesitating.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked, frowning a little.

"I thought you'd ridden a dragon before?" The young woman sighed.

"I _have_, it's just – he's a _Night Fury_!"

"So?"

"Well, it's just a little scary..."

"Nonsense! Here –" The rider suddenly jumped down from atop Toothless', and before Astrid knew it, Hiccup was lifting her effortlessly up by the waist and over the dragon's neck.

"Ai! Hiccup! What are you – ?" The young man placed her deftly down behind the saddle before jumping up to sit astride the Night Fury himself.

Astride began to pout, somewhat irritated by Hiccup's violation of her personal space; he had shown no hesitation in grabbing her and forcefully putting her down.

Turning back to face her, the boy smiled.

"I've – I've never had anyone else riding with me before, so you'd better hold on tight; I don't know how this is going to turn out."

"Alright then..." Astrid replied uncertainly, before wrapping her arms around Hiccup's chest and holding on to his riding harness.

She thought she could almost feel him tense up at this more...intimate of gestures; but how else was she going to stay on?

"See?" he said with a little laugh. "Nothing to be afraid of!" Now addressing Toothless, Hiccup gave the dragon a small pat on the head; the Night Fury still seemed to be fuming for some reason.

"Let's go bud! But please, for our passenger, gently does it –"

With a tremendous jolt, the three of them suddenly launched into the air, the dragon's wings beating with tremendous power.

Astrid felt like she had left half of her insides behind from the violent take-off, and it seemed as though Hiccup was a little shaken as well.

"Toothless? Bud, what's wro – ?" The Night Fury gave a sharp screech, before levelling off into a glide for several seconds, and then diving off down a steep, snowy slope, littered with pine trees.

"Toothless! What is wrong with you!" the young man shouted over the roar of the wind. "Bad dragon! _Bad _dragon!"

Toothless roared again, flexing his wings into a more aerodynamic position, and Astrid felt her ears begin to sting with the intense chill of the icy mountain air.

Glancing down, she could just make out the vague, fleeting shapes of rocks and trees whizzing by almost a mile below, obscured by a thin veil of clouds; they were now screaming down the north-eastern slopes of the plateau.

"He's not usually like this!" Hiccup shouted over his shoulder, but Astrid had a vague idea of why Toothless had suddenly decided to treat his rider and his passenger to as thrilling a flight as possible.

In spite of the violent take-off and extreme speeds which the black dragon was putting on, the young woman found herself momentarily intrigued by the wired mechanism which ran between Hiccup's left leg and the Night Fury's tailfins.

It seemed that the boy didn't even need to think about what he was doing, as his foot twitched and turned ever so subtly, changing the position and angle of Toothless' prosthetic fin with an incredible degree of finesse, keeping the dragon stable and airborne.

Levelling out once again, it seemed as though Toothless had finally gotten over his little bout of...well, whatever it was.

"Just needed to blow off some steam did we, eh?" panted Hiccup, as the Night Fury sped on and on in an easterly direction.

Toothless barked loudly.

"Fine, fine..." Turning in the saddle, the dragon-rider grinned toothily at Astrid, who now felt slightly sick; this Night Fury was one _very _fast and agile dragon.

"Feeling alright back there?" he asked loudly over the roaring of the wind.

"Just surviving," breathed the young woman heavily in reply. "Just surviving..." She would not have been at all surprised if she had been somewhat green in the face, and Hiccup could obviously see that she was feeling somewhat queasy.

"Don't worry," he said reassuringly, "it's going to become a much smoother soon. Just hang in there."

Flicking his foot back, the young man pulled Toothless' tailfin around into curved position, and the Night Fury began to climb steeply.

With powerful wingbeats, the dragon rushed up and up, past huge swathes of billowing white clouds, never stopping, never tiring.

Astrid had imagined the Night Fury to be a superior dragon to others in almost all aspects, but she had certainly not been prepared for _this_.

Higher and higher they climbed, until it seemed like they would reach the limits of the very sky itself and encroach upon the gates of Valhalla.

Having long since shut her eyes in fear, Astrid held on even tighter as the dragon continued to accelerate.

After what seemed like an age, there was a great blast of air, jerking them to one side and tugging at them with great force.

And, as though this was the signal Toothless had been waiting for, the dragon suddenly flattened out, turning with the wind, and _sailed_.

Opening her eyes slowly, Astrid squinted around dazedly, wondering why world had suddenly become monochrome, but upon realising what she was seeing, gasped.

"Oh gods!"

Stretched around them in every direction, as far as the eye could see, was clear, open sky.

The bright, intense blue was almost blinding.

Glancing down once again, she shivered upon seeing the earth, now many _many _miles below.

The great western coastline seemed to stretch for forever into the distance, cresting the horizon at opposite points.

The endless blue ocean was now visible, speckled here and there by the occasional white cloud.

The incredible crescendo of colours almost blinded the young woman

"Astrid?" The sound of another human's voice seemed totally alien and at odds with the world in which she now found herself.

"W-What?" she stuttered, peering round at the source of the voice.

Hiccup smiled.

"You're hurting me," he said quietly, but with a slight chuckle.

Suddenly noticing that she had now wrapped both her arms _and _legs tightly around the boy in the saddle, Astrid yelped with fright.

"_Sorry_..." she mumbled, trying to unravel herself from around his torso.

Her muscles were taut with tension, making this a somewhat difficult and awkward job, but she got it done nonetheless.

"Thank you," Hiccup said with a cheeky grin.

Astrid found herself pouting irritably again.

But then it suddenly occurred to her that what she could hear...was absolutely nothing.

It was almost like they were moving with the air, being carried upon its great currents.

"What...how are you...what's..." she couldn't seem to find the words to express what she was thinking.

"_How is this possible_?" she managed to blurt out, confused by the fact that she was able to speak at ordinary levels and still be heard relatively easily.

"_This_," he replied with what seemed to be a little pride, "is how we travel so fast. It's what Toothless and I call the '_skytide_'" Giving him a look which clearly said '_Explain_', Astrid shifted around in her seat on the dragon's neck, her fear gradually receding.

"The name says it all," Hiccup clarified. "Out on the ocean, the longboats can sail far and fast if they can find the way current is flowing...the same is true for flying in the sky. It's hard to tell how fast we're going, given how high up we are...but we made it to the great southern mainland from the castle in only three hours once." Astrid whistled.

"That's fast!" Such a trip normally took almost a week's travel by sea.

"Hey, reach around and grab my pack, would you?" Hiccup asked with a smile. "There are some fur coats and blankets in there; I keep them for journeys just like this." Suddenly realising just how cold she felt, Astrid couldn't have agreed more.

Twisting around, she unclasped the bag from Toothless' lower back, and hauled it around, handing it to Hiccup, who promptly produced two coats and a thick, fur blanket, all of which he handed to Astrid.

"S-Seriously?" she stuttered, shivering a little at the chill, but Hiccup just smiled.

"My clothes were specifically designed for this kind of thing; I'm fine."

The next half an hour passed in silence, with both humans sitting huddled upon the dragon's back deep in thought while the Night Fury simply relaxed and let himself soar peacefully upon the skytide.

Occasionally, Astrid would shift to take a look around.

The endless blue vista never seemed to change, the only differences being the clouds passing slowly by far below over the myriad of mountainous, forested islands.

Before she knew it, the Viking woman found herself drifting off to sleep, surrounded by the warmth of the fur layers, the endless beauty of the infinite sky, and the cosy comfort of a new-found friend...Hiccup.

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><p><em>At long last, Hiccup is heading home! But how will the villagers react to his return? How will his father see him? Things become rather tense from here on in, so pay close attention.<br>_

_Again, please comment and review! I really do want the feedback people, and make no mistake - any and all recommendations and suggestions are given serious consideration._

_Zwei Wochen, Leute!_

_Lumpyness._


	6. Chapter Six

_Oh boy, I'm ashamed to say that I almost forgot that today was an update Sunday! But the 'almost' is what matters.  
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_Enough talk, 'ere is your chapter, people.  
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_Having convinced Hiccup to return with her to Berk (although not without some dificulty and pain), the two set off together  
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_on Toothless' neck, soaring high up on the skytide (which, by the way, is the equivalent of a jet-stream). With the vast, blue expanse before her and the warmth of two knew friends by her side, Astrid drifted off to sleep...but not for very long!  
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* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six: Tension<em>

"Astrid! Wake up! _Wake up_!"

"No...go away...just a few more minutes..." the young woman mumbled, her mind foggy with the cosy warmth of the fur blankets surrounding her.

It was so nice up here, soaring high upon the skytide with not a care in the world...

"Ouch!" Astrid yelped, opening her eyes with a start, her shoulder stinging a little.

It seemed that Hiccup had picked up on her method of punching someone in order to get their attention.

"There you are!" the boy laughed, rubbing his knuckles; it seemed he had accidentally snicked her spiky metal shoulder-pad.

"Sleepy-head! Decided to take a nap, did you?"

"_No_," Astrid replied with a yawn, rubbing her eyes a little, "but I did kind of..._doze off_."

"Well, heads up now, 'cause we're almost there."

Suddenly wide awake, Astrid started with surprise.

"How long has it been?"

"By my reckoning, roughly two hours since we took off –"

"That's all?" she cut in incredulously.

"That's all," grinned Hiccup. "I told you it was fast. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to pack the blankets back away; things are going to get rather turbulent again on the way back down." Squirming around to shove the thick, fur layer back into the sack on Toothless' back, Astrid shivered a little at the cold air.

Even without air movement, and hence no wind chill, she was still beginning to feel the sky's icy nip.

"How can you stand this?" she exclaimed, staring at the back of Hiccup's head.

"Oh, you get used to it really..." he mumbled with a smile, glancing over his shoulder at her. "You'd better hold on tight again; we're about to start the descent. And please don't squeeze me _quite _so hard this time."

Astrid could feel herself going red in the face as she wrapped her arms around the young man's chest.

"Alright bud, let's GO!" Hiccup shouted, twisting his foot to flick Toothless' tailfin back, and the dragon roared to the blue sky, arching his body slowly down towards the magnificent blanket of clouds far below.

As the air began to rush past, whipping about her hair uncontrollably, Astrid was suddenly hit by the fiercest rush of thrilling joy she had ever felt; _this _was what it meant to fly upon the back of a dragon.

_This _was what it was meant to feel like.

Even the strangely familiar feeling of having left her insides behind was starting to grown on her, becoming a fond regular in her bosom.

As the howling wind intensified to become a full gale, slicing past the dragon and his passengers like Thor's chariot at full speed, the white fluffy blanket below began to approach at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Shouldn't we slow down a bit?" Astrid yelled into Hiccup's ear, but was shocked to see the look on his face as he turned a little to look at her with one eye.

"Not a chance!" he practically screamed in reply, now looking nothing short of maniacal. "This is what I live for!" His long brown hair whipping his face, the young man grinned at her, his face alight and alive with the thrill of the dive. "And we aren't even going fast enough yet!"

Digging his heels into Toothless' sides, Hiccup urged the Night Fury on, and the dragon roared again, beating his wings furiously.

Just as they were about to hit the clouds, Astrid noticed something very strange.

Layers of condensed air seemed to be building up around Toothless' nose, and upon leaning around to glimpse at his face, the young woman saw that these odd little puffs of what looked to be water vapour were not confined only to his snout; the funny stuff seemed to be whipping around the fronts of his wings and legs as well.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup shouted, evidently concerned as to why she was feeling the need to lean from side to side.

"What is _that_?" Astrid yelled back, nodding her head towards Toothless' snout, not willing enough to remove a hand from around the boy's chest, lest she be caught up in the rushing wind and cast out upon the great aerial tides, only to fall fatally to back to earth in no time at all.

"I have no idea!" he yelled back. "But it's my dream to be able to fly faster than it! It's never been done before as far as I can tell!" Hiccup leaned even further forward in the saddle, and Astrid gulped.

"Brace yourself!"

Angling the Night Fury into such a trajectory as to shoot right through one of the larger gaps in the fluffy white layer, Hiccup bent forward, flattening himself against the dragon's back, and Astrid did the same.

She did, however, struggle somewhat to keep her arms around Hiccup's middle, and they inadvertently slipped down around his –

"Here we go!" And as the three of them shot down through the billowing clouds, the young woman found out exactly how _cold _and _wet _clouds could be.

"Argh!" she spat angrily, suddenly quite a bit damper than she would have liked.

A moment later, they were out and plummeting down towards the rapidly approaching earth.

And earth it was indeed...well, some of it anyway.

Astrid could now make out the shapes of seas, mountains, forests, boulders, rocks and...Berk.

How homely the Viking village look from up here, nestled tightly away into the side of the island, surrounded on three sides by pine-treed slopes and craggy cliffs, and gushed ocean waters on the other.

No sooner had she begun to admire the little town's beauty from such a height than–

Oomph!

Without any warning whatsoever, the Night Fury had spread his wings wide, and begun to decelerate with _astounding _rapidity.

Astrid found herself thrown forwards into Hiccup's back, having not been expecting such a jolt.

Levelling himself out with his rider's assistance, Toothless continued to fall, but now at a much slower rate, like a large sheet billowing in the wind.

This controlled drop was much more comforting to the nerves than the hectic dive which had almost torn Astrid's heart right out of her chest; she could at least hear herself speak now.

"This is better!" she spoke breathlessly, still rather loudly due to the rushing air around them, but at least she didn't have to scream her lungs out just to be heard.

"This is _the last time _I have you as a passenger..." muttered Hiccup, barely audible above the sound of swirling air.

Suddenly realising that her hands were still clasped around his lower stomach, Astrid quickly released him, retracting her arms to her sides – this was happening much too often!

Shivering with the cold, yet flushed with the heat of the embarrassment, the young woman stared pointedly away, biting her lip as Hiccup turned around.

"At least let me ride in the back seat next time!" he grinned cheekily, voice quivering with laughter.

"You –!" Astrid lashed out with all her strength, plunging her fist into his shoulder as the boy howled with laughter, but inwardly she felt glad indeed that they could laugh about events like this.

"Alright! Next stop, the Viking village of Berk!

Time to destination, probably about a minute or two!" Hiccup announced, rubbing his sore shoulder.

Turning back to face Astrid, the young woman was startled at the suddenly serious look on his freckled features.

"...Astrid?"

"Yes?" she replied quietly.

Hiccup seemed to be struggling with finding the right words to express what he was feeling, an experience Astrid was most familiar with.

"What – Whatever happens, however this turns out, for better or for worse, I'm glad..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm really glad you came to my rescue."

Astrid could only stare.

Hiccup looked like he was kicking himself inwardly, and for good reason; this was possibly the corniest thing he had _ever _said, including his excuse about the mishap involving the theft of an extra loaf of bread from the baker's house almost ten years ago.

"I'm sorry, but..._what_?" said Astrid with raised eyebrows.

"You know what I mean!" Hiccup sighed with annoyance.

"I mean...thank you for coming and...well, knocking some sense into me I guess." The young woman snorted.

"Well, it was more me who was on the receiving end of any knocking –" Now it was her turn to feel bad about a corny statement, although this had even worse implications than Hiccup's sentence.

As the pair of them went bright red, blushing at the awkwardness of the moment, the boy decided to finish what he was saying.

"I guess what I'm really trying to say is, thank you for helping me to see what's really important. For the past few years I've been..._isolating_ myself, not being able to bear what I was seeing in _'__the__outside world__'_, when really I should have been out there trying to make a difference. And thanks to you, now I can...and _will_."

Astrid could only smile.

"You're welcome..." she said quietly after a moment's thought. "Glad I could help."

As the village of Berk slowly became more and more distinct, with even lone Vikings visible between the buildings and out in the town square, Hiccup frowned, as something occurred to him.

"Hey, why did you come looking for me in the first place?" he asked thoughtfully, head tilted to one side.

Despite having been long awaited, the question came as something of a shock.

Astrid paused, uncertain of how she could reply...and if she could indeed do so truthfully.

"I'm...not sure. I–I'm sorry, I just...don't know..." she mumbled.

Hiccup's frown deepened.

"That's not an answer," he stated.

"Why does this matter?" Astrid fired up, irritated by his persistence.

"Because I want to remember what you say _right now_." It was an odd answer, and one that seemed to carry no meaning – no relevance to her anyway.

It clearly mattered to Hiccup.

And if it mattered to him, then it mattered to her.

Pushed forward by a sudden urge which she could neither control nor understand, Astrid leaned forward, and kissed him full on the mouth.

But the moment was too short by far, for Toothless gave an angry bark, and Hiccup broke the embrace, turning away, flushed a deep red in the face; Astrid had caught him completely off guard.

Blinking several times, the young woman found herself shaking a little, and grabbed the back of Toothless' harness to steady herself.

Having surprised both of them with the sudden caress of lips, she now had no idea what to do.

But thankfully, she didn't have to do anything.

There was a sudden frantic shouting, and Astrid peered over the side of the dragon to see a lone Viking standing on the walkway down to the docks, shouting himself hoarse at the sudden appearance of this rather unwelcome visitor.

But then something else caught her attention.

The docks...were completely empty.

Not a single ship remained at berth, and only a couple of Vikings were visible out on watch, unlike the usual ten or so that should have been stationed at all times to keep a look out for dragons.

As Astrid passed her eyes up the cliffs and over the village, it struck her just how _empty _Berk looked.

"Hiccup –" she began a little worriedly.

"I know," he replied quietly. "Something's wrong."

Watching the lone Viking sprint away up the walkway towards the village, Astrid felt a growing fear tug at her insides.

They were now only a few hundred feet above the island, with Toothless still gliding ever so gently down towards the central square.

As the word spread that an unknown dragon was descending upon the village, several Vikings rushed from houses, hooting and hollering, weapons in hand.

"This is going to be rough..." Hiccup murmured, and Astrid knew he wasn't talking about the landing.

"Just...let me go first. I'll talk to them. Besides..." She cast another worried look at the meagre crowd which was now assembling in the town square.

"It doesn't look like there's going to be much convincing necessary."

As they swooped down over the village, Astrid could now distinguish several voices from the others.

"What is it?"

"A dragon!"

"_Duh_! I mean _what kind _of dragon?"

"How should I know? Ask 'Legs!"

"Fishlegs?"

"I don't recognise it!"

"Oh great! I thought you knew everything about–"

"Not yet! The book isn't finished!" As Hiccup began to laugh, Astrid brought her legs up onto the dragon's back, balancing on his scaly black hide.

"See if you can fly down over there!" She pointed to an area of open ground, and Hiccup nodded.

"I'm going to try and sort things out as peacefully as possible."

"Taking a leaf out of my book, eh?" the boy chuckled.

Suddenly, a number of audible gasps rose from the crowd, as they realised that there were _humans_ on the dragon's back.

"Look! On the dragon's back!"

"Who is _that_?"

"How is this possible?"

"Odin help us!"

As the cluster of Vikings drew back, still clutching their shields, holding the wooden frames between themselves and the Night Fury, Astrid stood up on Toothless' back, and waved down at the small crowd.

"Hey! _Hey_! Don't attack! It's alright!" There were yet more gasps from the assembled Vikings, and although the group now drew back even further, Astrid could still see many an axe and sword clutched in hand of a Viking.

Toothless began to growl, evidently somewhat agitated by the presence of sharp blades in the hands of dragon-haters.

"Easy bud! No-one's gonna hurt you," Hiccup soothed, before shooting Astrid a harsh glance. "_Are they_?"

"Not if I can help it!" she replied forcefully, and leaped from the dragon's back.

Astrid heard Hiccup's yelp of surprise, but she knew what she was doing.

It was no more than fifty feet to the ground, and she was right above the thatched roof of a Viking house; hopefully a soft landing.

It was.

As she crashed down on the hay, Astrid rolled down the sloping roof, leaping from the top of the building to land deftly upon her feet on the stone paving of the town square.

Pausing to catch her breath, the young woman marvelled at her luck and gave silent praise to Viking architecture.

If that roof had been any less durable, she could have gone crashing straight through, and the consequences might have been fatal.

But what could possibly have driven her to do such a –?

Shoving this unnecessary thought to one side, Astrid straightened up and began to walk towards the small group of Vikings.

"Astrid?"

"It's Astrid!"

"_Astrid_!" And out from the crowd rushed several people she knew very well, and had missed very much.

The first person didn't so much greet her as collide quite forcefully with her.

Ruffnut's slender form slammed into her rather sharply, as the blond twin threw herself around her friend in a rib-crushing hug.

Returning her friendly embrace a little uncertainly, Astrid smiled at the others who trailed behind.

Fishlegs' bulk was impossible to miss, and his toothy smile was nothing short of wonderful to see.

Tuffnut stared at her with apparent awe; she had, after all, just leapt fifty feet from a dragon's back to land on the roof of a house without injury.

Snotlout's jaw was slightly open, and the brutish Viking's expression was one of deepest confusion.

"_He'd be having trouble figuring this one out_," Astrid thought viciously, giving him a look of deepest loathing; the events which had been partly responsible for her flight from the village of Berk almost a week ago had not been cleared completely from memory.

Releasing her from the tight hug, Ruffnut stared at her with shining eyes.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "We've been worried sick! Your mother was practically –"

"Astrid!" Speaking of mothers...

Hilda came charging out from the crowd, shoving aside several other Vikings, her eyes filled with a kind of desperate longing.

And before she knew it, Astrid had been hit by a bone-shattering embrace for the second time that day, as her mother grabbed her and held her tight, crying with relief.

"Oh _Astrid..._" But the young woman was beginning to get the feeling that Hilda was dramatising the situation just a _bit _too much.

"Mum, it's good to see you too," she mumbled, gently extracting herself from her mother's tight grip, "but people are staring –"

There was a sudden, collective gasp from the crowd, and Astrid twisted around in her mother's arms to see Hiccup dismounting from the Night Fury's back, having landed in one corner of the village square.

"Is that who I think it is?" Hilda breathed, the woman's voice suddenly cold and indifferent.

"Yeah," Astrid answered quietly. "It is –"

She stopped abruptly, suddenly realising that something was still very wrong; by now, almost every Viking in the village should have turned up, attracted by the sudden commotion.

The only plausible answer was...

"Where is everyone?" the young woman asked suddenly, turning back to face her mother, trying desperately to keep the frantic tone out of her voice.

Hilda sighed, and opened her mouth to reply, but it was Snotlout who got there first.

"They've gone to attack the Dragon's Nest." Astrid's heart practically jumped out of her mouth with shock, but as she began to stutter in reply, someone else joined in.

"What?" Hiccup's voice cracked like a whip in the cool air, starling everyone present, his ire audible and clear. "You can't be serious –"

"What's it to you?" cut in Snotlout, matching his anger and raising him by several levels.

Hiccup's eyes flashed, his lips whitened, and the young man took a step forward, holding Snotlout's glare with his own icy gaze.

"Say that again!" he hissed menacingly.

"You heard me," the brutish Viking sneered. "What makes you so caring and concerned all of a sudden? _You _ran away for seven years –" Suddenly stopping, he backtracked as Hiccup's teeth clenched tightly together.

"Actually, I take that back; _leaving_ was probably the best thing you could have done –"

With blinding speed, Hiccup launched himself forward, his rage finally boiling over and rushing outwards in the form of pure malice.

But Astrid knew exactly what was coming, and was prepared to do whatever it took to avoid conflict.

Dashing forward, she quickly stepped between the two angry youths, grabbing Hiccup by the shoulders and holding him firmly, while the young man strained and struggled against her grip, though not as powerfully as he could have, and Astrid smiled inwardly; she had finally figured out how to soothe his frenzied fury, just as Toothless had.

Glancing at Snotlout's shocked face, she gave him a quick glare, before turning to whisper to Hiccup.

"Don't do it," she spoke quietly, still holding him steady with all her strength. "You're better than this. Just let it go. There are other problems to deal with."

As the enraged boy slowly relaxed and ceased to strain at her hold on him, Astrid breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"How do they know where the nest is?" she asked, trying to bring the conversation back to civil levels.

It was Fishlegs who answered her question.

"Hoark and his family were out fishing one morning, when..." His voice faded off, and he shied away, apparently afraid to speak of it.

"They saw a flock of dragons flying off into the mist, and..." Tuffnut had picked up the tale. "They managed to follow them to a big island...a kind of huge volcano or something."

From behind her, Astrid heard Hiccup swear angrily to himself, before turning to walk over to stroke Toothless' scaly nose; the Night Fury was beginning to growl audibly at the group of adult Vikings which were all staring at him agitatedly.

"Go on," the young woman spoke quietly. She glanced at Hiccup and was satisfied to see that he wasn't going to do anything _else _stupid.

"Well, that's...really all there is," stated Tuffnut a little subdued.

"But now," cut in Snotlout, leering at her, "Stoick's taken the best of the warriors, most of the tribe actually, and gone to drive the dragons out." Hiccup snorted derisively, and Astrid turned to stare at him.

Snotlout's eyes narrowed.

Hiccup smiled sadly, his hand resting upon Toothless' nose, soothing the dragon's agitation.

"You know what this means?" he spoke quietly, looking directly into Astrid's eyes, and the young woman opened her mouth slightly, as a small knot of fear began to clench in her stomach...before it hit her.

She gasped, holding a shaking hand up to her mouth, and Hiccup shook his head, turning away bitterly.

"What is it?" chorused several worried voices, and Astrid turned back to the group of Vikings who were now staring at her worriedly, panic now rising in her chest.

"How long ago did they leave?" she asked frantically, earning herself a myriad of confused stares.

"About...two hours or so," answered Ruffnut slowly.

Tugging at her hair, Astrid opened her mouth and closed it again several times, her eyes full of terror.

The young woman could see the other Vikings beginning to share her worry.

Turning back to Hiccup, now desperate, she was surprised to see the boy staring bleakly at her, his hand still resting upon the Night Fury's snout.

"Astrid, I can't do it," he stated simply. "I can't fight it alone – I'd never survive –"

"Fight what?" Snotlout's curious voice chimed in, his anger somewhat lessened, an ignorant curiosity in its stead.

Hiccup shook his head again.

"Death...Red Death." The Vikings stared.

"Death?"

"_Red _Death?"

"What do you mean?" Hiccup merely turned away again, his face drooping with despair, leaving Astrid to answer the question.

"It's a dragon...a _huge _dragon, probably half the size of this island." There were audible gasps of shock fright from the crowd, and Astrid felt her panic rise; there seemed to be _nothing _that anyone could do now...the Vikings were going to be slaughtered.

"Hang on," Snotlout continued, now staring at Hiccup with what appeared to be _hope _flickering in his eyes.

"You said "fight it" –"

"I did," replied Hiccup shortly.

"But not by yourself?" Astrid stared with wonder; was Snotlout _really _thinking what she thought he was thinking?

Then Hiccup's expression changed. Until now his demeanour had been coldly uncaring, and perhaps just a little sad...but some had changed, and suddenly, too. He gave Astrid a sorrowful stare.

"...By myself," Hiccup stated clearly, shocking everyone present.

"No!" Astrid exclaimed immediately, drawing stares from everyone present. "No, Hiccup, you can't! It's suicide!"

"I have to try!" he replied fiercely, now turning to mount Toothless, preparing to take off.

"No! Hiccup, there _has _to be another way–"

"Such as?"

"I-I don't know," Astrid spluttered, "but you can' t–"

"Astrid, I can and _will..._for everyone's sake." And without another word, he placed one foot in the stirrups.

Emotions ran high and Astrid clenched her fists with fury, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

But the tension was broken when, suddenly, there was a familiar screech.

Turning to stare in the direction from which the sound had come, the young woman found herself staring up into the sky at a small group of rapidly approaching – _dragons_?

As they drew closer and closer, their broad wings, vibrant colours and horned heads became strikingly clear.

"_More_ of them!" she heard someone yell, and there was an uproar as the Vikings instantly scrambled to grab as many weapons as possible, most of which had been placed aside to placate the agitated Night Fury.

Toothless began to growl again, and Hiccup paused to soothe his dragon friend, one foot still in the stirrups.

However, as the new flight of dragons drew ever nearer, the feeling of familiarity began to rise once again; these were no ordinary beasts.

"Hiccup, it's that Nadder!" At this distance, the resemblance was uncanny, the similarity impossible to miss.

"You mean –?"

"Yeah, the one I met on the mountain!" As people started to stare at her in confusion, Astrid ran a small way up the slope towards the chieftain's house where there was a little more open space, cast aside her axe and shield, and began to wave her hands frantically at the small flight of dragons.

She could now make out that there were only four of them, including her Nadder–wait, _her _Nadder?

"Astrid!

What are you doing?"

"Do you want to get us all killed?"

But the villagers' frantic cries fell upon deaf ears, as Astrid watched the dragons descend upon the village, circling down lower and lower, until they were right over her.

Suddenly, she found herself surrounded by the beasts.

Turning in a full circle, Astrid let her gaze wander over vibrant, shiny scales, broad, leathery wings, and bright, fiery eyes – all of which now stared directly at Astrid.

Keeping her fear in check was becoming increasingly difficult, but if the crazy idea now blossoming in her mind were to come to fruition, her nerve would have to hold for a little longer yet.

Practically shaking from the effort involved with subduing her natural, defensive instincts, Astrid now turned to the Nadder..._her_ Nadder.

The bruise under the beast's right eye was unmistakable, and the young woman reached a quivering hand out to touch its snout.

Stroking the blue dragon's scaly face, she was delighted to find that the Nadder still trusted her, purring with content at her touch friendly.

But as the crowd gasped audibly, Astrid's last thread of patience snapped.

"Oh come on!" she snarled, turning to look at the other Vikings, her own voice now reminding her of Hiccup's enraged tones. "Is it really that surprising? No-one's _ever _bothered to try and befriend a dragon before – except for Hiccup! And you're all still surprised to see that, after all that's happened, I can walk up to four of them without being burned to a crisp?" Realising that her hands had curled themselves into little fists of anger, Astrid consciously relaxed her emotions, determined not to fall prey to the same rage from which Hiccup occasionally suffered.

"You know," she practically thundered, fighting to keep her voice from rising any further, "I think I'm finally starting to understand why Hiccup feels the way he does." Turning her head pointedly to look from the assembled dragons to the small crowd of fearful Vikings, Astrid breathed deeply, and steeled herself for what she was about to do...what she _had _to do.

"But that's not important now," she continued, her hand still resting upon the Nadder's scaly snout. "We've got to use any means necessary to save the rest of the tribe. And if _any _of you think that ancient prejudices archaic traditions are more important than the lives of almost one-hundred friends and family, then..." Astrid shook her head, her voice failing her.

Glancing at Hiccup, she was surprised to see that he was still frozen with one leg in the stirrups, his mouth slightly open, staring at her in surprise.

And truth be told, Astrid wasn't sure exactly how she had managed to put voice at all to what she had just said.

However, of all the people to respond, of all of the Vikings assembled, the one who spoke first was the one she least expected to do so.

"So what do you want us to do?" Snotlout asked simply, his voice free of any form of fear or malice.

And the simple honesty of his question seemed to be the tipping point for everyone else present.

Here was a boy who could really put two and two together and see that it wouldn't destroy the fabric of Viking society, not when the alternative meant something far worse.

Giving Snotlout a brief but compassionate smile, Astrid turned to look to at Hiccup.

"Something Stupid?" she said with a slight smile, which Hiccup returned, along with a his long-lost, toothy grin.

"How about something crazy?"

* * *

><p>Her hair whipping past her face, Astrid squinted into the cold wind that rushed past her in a frantic gale of pure tension.<p>

Clinging to the Nadder's back was becoming easier as time went by, but she still could not turn to look at the others without experiencing that sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach upon noticing how very far away the ground, or rather the ocean was.

On occasion, when she did manage to get a glimpse of their faces, Astrid was not surprised to see a mirror image of what she had at first felt smeared across her own face.

After Snotlout had spoken up, it hadn't been hard to convince everyone else that this was the best...the _only _course of action left to take.

It turned out that the dragons which Astrid's Nadder (try as she might, the young woman couldn't help but feel a little possessive of her new flying friend) had summoned for battle were the same ones which had been held captive and used for the training of new Viking recruits all those years ago...the ones which Astrid had accidentally set free.

Fishlegs wobbled precariously upon the back of a brown Gronckle, trying desperately to simultaneously keep his balance and examine the dragon up close, delighted by this new opportunity to add some facts and figures to his ever-growing encyclopaedia.

Once the twins had gotten over the fact that they were going to have to share, they had willingly sat astride the two heads of the Hideous Zippleback which had been making eyes (all four of them) at the pair of Viking siblings.

Even Snotlout had eventually warmed to the idea of riding atop a gigantic red Nightmare, although he still returned her smile with a mixture of joy, terror and outright ambivalence.

But it was Hiccup who continuously attracted her eyes.

Having only shared a few short, sharp words with Snotlout, he had kept quiet the entire time while Astrid had introduced the other Vikings to their respective flying mounts.

His fleeting smile at her snarky comment had disappeared in mere seconds.

Even Toothless had shied away from the other dragons, almost as though he were treating their presence as something to be feared.

The boy and his dragon now soared at the front of the flight of dragons, leading them ever onwards to the east – and towards the Dragon's Nest.

Staring at the way the pair of them interacted, Astrid was not surprised to see that Hiccup showed no fear at all about what they were about to attempt.

There was a kind of sad acceptance in the boy's face, mirrored almost identically in that of his dragon.

It had been both a silent and unanimous decision that Hiccup would be leader.

He was, simply put, the best man for the job.

As the five dragons soared ever onwards, further and further into the misty seas, the midday sun began to fade amidst the murky fog, until finally there seemed to be nothing but an endless grey expanse stretching in all directions around them.

Suddenly, Toothless gave a sharp bark, and veered off to the south.

For a moment, the other dragons all made as if to follow him, but Hiccup looked back in his shoulder, staring at them solemnly.

"I have to make a small detour! Something very important!" he shouted over the howling wind. "Toothless and I will meet up with you later! Just keep heading towards the nest!" Flinching at the shocked looks upon everyone's faces, he gave them one last pleading look of guilt before the Night Fury veered off into the mist, his silhouette growing fainter and fainter by the second.

Her thoughts rushing as fast as the gale which blew past her face, Astrid sought frantically to keep her mind from wandering.

"_It's got to be really important to him...just focus on the present Astrid_!" she told herself angrily, before angling the Nadder towards the front of the flight.

Twisting to look over her shoulder, she now addressed the rest of the gang with as much bravery as her quaking heart could muster.

"We can do this!" she yelled at her fellow Vikings. "We can at least help save the Vikings on the island before Hiccup gets back!" And doing her best to ignore the fearful looks on her friends' faces and the anxiety and terror which now burned her throat like a torturous tongue of molten rock, Astrid turned back to face the oncoming storm.

"This is it," she spoke to herself quietly, suddenly quite calm.

"_Indeed it is child, indeed it is._"

* * *

><p><em>A word of warning, people, the next chapter is the longst one I have written so far, roughly 10,000 words.<em>

_And it may seem obvious what is coming, you must be able to pick out the subtleties to understand future events.  
><em>

_Please comment and review to your hearts' content._

_Two weeks people!  
><em>

_Lumpyness.  
><em>


	7. Chapter Seven

_Gee, these two week time intervals are passing so quickly...  
><em>

_In the last chapter, Hiccup and Astrid arrived back at the village of Berk, only to discover that the majority of the Viking tribe had left to drive the dragons out of their nest, after it was accidentally discovered by a Viking fisherman during Astrid's absence.  
><em>

_Hiccup was not pleased to be back in Berk, and tense words were exchanged with some of the younger Vikings, but in the end the stubborn villagers were convinced, with the help of the once caged dragons to ally with their generational enemies in order to defeat a common foe...for now.  
><em>

_The group of yound adults then set off on the backs of these dragons towards the Nest, with Hiccup at their head, and the safety of their home behind them...  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seven: The Red Death<em>

Great, stony spires whipped past the small flight of dragons at such frantic speeds they became indistinguishable blurs amongst the great expanse of cold water and grey fog.

A great wave of blankness began to slowly engulf Astrid's mind like the warm, hazy breeze of a mid-summer's day, in complete contrast with the current surroundings.

It were as though her inner self was trying desperately to protect her from the horror of what she was about to face.

The others looked no better.

Fishlegs had ceased his incessant, intrigued fidgeting and was now quite green in the face...a shade mirrored perfectly in the features of the Gronckle he was riding; both of them looked like they were about to be sick.

The twins were casting nervous glances at one another and stroking their respective Zippleback head occasionally, while the double-headed dragon shared its riders' agitation.

Snotlout seemed to be the calmest.

His face looked as though it was set in stone, a look of grim defiance on his broad features.

The Nightmare he was riding seemed almost _eager _to begin battle, urging itself and its rider ever onwards with grim determination.

As for Astrid...she was just surprised that she was getting so good at reading the expressions on everyone's faces.

It seemed that she had learned a thing or two from Hiccup after all.

All of a sudden, a terrifying roar crashed down upon the flight's ears, tearing at the air itself.

Aside from the incredible, ear-splitting volume of the cry, that angry, enraged, _furious_, voice carried with it such fear and horror, that Astrid felt the Nadder beneath her shudder.

Placing her hand upon top of its head, the young woman closed her eyes momentarily and willed her mind to reach out to connect with her Nadder.

It was a strange technique which she had, once or twice, noticed Hiccup perform with Toothless.

She could only guess that it was how the two communicated so well, but could not think of a better time to try to create such a link between herself and her own dragon.

_Her_ _own dragon_...

"_Please, I need to know..._" Astrid spoke inwardly, more with intention that anything else, "_do you know what we are about to face?_" She wasn't particularly surprised to get an answer almost immediately; the Nadder had been placing small thoughts and odd phrases into her mind throughout the entire trip so far, each one louder than the last, as though it was also trying to connect with her.

"_I do,_" came the simple answer.

"_Then...can you tell me if there's any hope for us...at all?_"

"_If we can set aside our differences for at least this one time, and put our collective efforts to this single task, then yes. But only if. I sense...there is still doubt in your mind. Doubt, and fear...fear of dragons...of us."_

_"Well, I'm sorry, but it may take many of us some time to...unlearn what we've been taught as Vikings."_

_"I understand this. Believe me, I do. I spent so many years captive in that cage of yours hoping only to live to see the next day dawn, that it is impossible for me not to feel some animosity towards your kind."_

_"Then, I guess, for at least this one time, we both have to put those feelings to one side and focus on the present."_

_"Indeed."_

Intrigued as she was by this new bond she shared with the Nadder, Astrid still found it difficult to wrench her mind away from certain unanswered questions.

The mental link was tiring to sustain, but with one last push of willpower, she posed a further question.

"_Why did you run from Hiccup and Toothless back on the mountain?_" It seemed for a moment as though the Nadder's mind tensed up, unwilling to answer the question...at least not wholly.

"_There are some things,_" it said after a moment's pause, "_that he should probably tell you himself._

_But know this; there are events in that boy's past so terrifying that they would make you quail even in comparison to what we must now face._"

Astrid tore her mind back to the waking world, feeling the wind against and the rhythmic pulse of the dragon's wingbeats once again.

Realising that she was shaking a little, the young woman glanced around at the surroundings and the others.

It seemed that her little _conversation _with the Nadder had lasted no more than a few seconds, although really it had felt like so much longer.

There was another huge roar, even more piercing than the last.

They were getting close.

"Are we seriously going to do this?" Astrid's head whipped around to look a very fearful Fishlegs, perched precariously on the top of the Gronckle, and giving her a look which clearly said '_I-really-don't-want-to-die-so-please-don't-make-me-do-this_'.

"Think about it! What can the four of us and three dragons do against a monster the size of Berk? There's a ninety-five percent chance that we're just throwing our lives away–" Astrid opened her mouth to interject angrily, but it was Snotlout who go there first.

"Oh, shut up!" he snarled, looking quite livid, and the Nightmare gave an angry bark, as though sharing his feelings. "It's do or die! And I don't mean for us! If we don't at least _try _to take this thing down then over half of our tribe is gonna be KILLED!" It seemed that here was a Viking who had finally sorted out where his priorities lay.

"Well, said!" chorused the twins, and Fishlegs blushed a deep shade of scarlet.

"But...aren't we at least going to have some kind of battle plan?" he asked feebly, staring around at the rest of them.

Astrid sighed; it was the one thing she had not yet considered, but thankfully, the answer was fairly simple.

"Well _you're _the dragon expert! Once we see the thing you can..._analyse _it and find out what its weaknesses are! And hopefully by the time Hiccup get's there he'll be able to finish it off!"

"Are you sure he's coming back?" called Ruffnut anxiously. "He hasn't just deserted us–"

"Of course not!" yelled Astrid fiercely, incensed that the female twin could even _think _of asking such a question.

But inwardly, she couldn't shake that seed of doubt from her mind.

"_Have you, Hiccup?_"

Suddenly, an immense, rocky spire loomed out of the fog ahead, and the small flight of dragons decelerated and began to soar slowly downwards.

As great beaches of fine pebbles and huge, stony spires appeared out of the gloom below them, there was a sudden burst of hot, orange flames in the corner of her eye, and Astrid's head whipped around in the direction of this startling new blast of light and heat.

And there they were.

There _it _was.

Death.

Red Death.

The pictures and paintings which the young woman had seen back in the halls of the hollow bastion did it no justice whatsoever.

The thing was _colossal_.

There were several audible gasps from her companions, and Astrid was not surprised to see looks of pure horror on their windswept faces.

The dragons looked just as terrified.

All four of the Zippleback's eyes were wide with fear, while the Gronckle simply refused to look at the beast, averting its gaze to one side.

Snotlout's Nightmare roared with agitation, and Astrid's Nadder shivered fearfully again.

The huge creature was at least the size of a small mountain, with great, grey wings, blood-red spines all down its back, and a huge mace for a tail.

But its head was the most peculiar looking thing of all.

It had a single set of pale, grey eyes, an excessively large lower jaw, and a gaping mouth that could easily swallow a longboat whole.

As the small flight of dragons bore down upon the beast from above, Astrid finally began to appreciate the magnitude of what they were about to do.

The battle they were about to fight.

The _thing _that they were about to try and destroy.

From her position high above the grey dragon, Astrid could make out throngs of terrified Vikings fleeing like ants across the stony beach from the towering form of the Red Death.

She could make out the steely glint of their weapons, useless upon the thick hide of the huge beast, and their brown fur vests, which would burn like parchment if set alight by flames from the monster's maw.

Turning to her right, the young woman saw the burning husks of some of the Vikings' longboats resting upon the shore, lit up like torches by some great gout of intense fire.

The villagers were trapped upon the island, and would be hunted down one by one and consumed or burned to ashes by the colossal dragon...unless Astrid and the others could help them.

But then something else caught her eye.

As the Vikings fled in droves before the howling Red Death, the young woman could make out the small figures of two single warriors standing to face the beast.

As she watched, one of them grabbed a large wooden stake from the ground, which had presumably been placed there along with many others to stave off an attack from numerous, smaller dragons.

Against the huge claws of this massive dragon, the small sliver of timber was now useless, but not in the hands of a strong and cunning Viking like Stoick the Vast.

As the chief hurled the stake up at the dragon's face with all his might, the small flight of dragons and its riders watched on in fear.

The beam of wood struck the dragon fair in the face, right below the eye, the sharp point glancing harmlessly off the Red Death's scaly hide but causing the beast to flinch with shock, and turn its attention to the tiny man on the ground who had irritated it so.

Roaring with displeasure, it reared its ugly head and peered down at the pair of Vikings which now seemed to be taunting it, each in turn shouting as loudly as they possibly could at it.

But Astrid had now seen enough to know that unless they acted now, there would soon be nothing left of Stoick the Vast and Gobber the Belch but a cloud of black soot and ashes.

"Follow me!" she shouted back to the Vikings behind her, and urged the Nadder into a downward spiral, heading straight for the dragon's head.

"It's now or never," she whispered to her flying companion, leaning down to bring her mouth close to the Nadder's head.

And as the Red Death reared back once again, preparing to unleash a torrent of raging flames upon the little pests at its feet, Astrid's dragon opened its mouth wide, took in a great breath of air, and fired.

The screaming burst of the powerful stream of fire sent shivers down the young woman's spine, but at the same time gave her a tremendous sense of exhilaration.

The blast hit the grey beast directly on the back of its neck, causing it to momentarily lose its concentration and roar with anger.

The fire did no visible damage, but had at least saved the two adults on the beach below from a grisly death.

From somewhere behind her, Astrid heard cheering and shouting.

"Good shot!" came Snotlout's voice, while the rest of the gang whooped and hollered, cheering her on.

As the dragons spread their wings wide and came around to glide over the towering beast's head, Astrid peered down at the pair of Vikings on the beach below, both of whom were staring up at the small flight of dragons with looks of pure amazement upon their uplifted faces.

"Look at us!" Tuffnut yelled from somewhere behind her. "We're on a dragon! We're on dragons, all of us!"

As a great bout of cheers arose from the crowd of the Vikings down on the beach, Astrid glanced back at the huge grey dragon behind them, now shaking its head in irritation as though trying to flick off an irksome fly.

Clearly, it was going to take a lot more than a dragon's simple fire-blast to do any kind of damage to the thing.

Perhaps Toothless' fire could penetrate its thick hide, but they would have to wait until Hiccup and the Night Fury turned up.

So until then...

"Alright, focus people!" Astrid shouted back at the other dragons and their riders, and all heads turned to her. "Fishlegs, break it down!" If anyone could find a weakness in this thing, he could.

And as the chubby Viking's eyes lit up like the brightest of candles, she could tell he was already analysing.

"Alright! Heavily armoured skull made for bashing and crushing! Steer clear of both! Small eyes, large nostrils! Relies on hearing and smell!" This all seemed to make sense...and in that case –

"Alright, 'Lout, 'Legs, hang in its blind spot! Make some noise, keep it confused!" The two male Vikings nodded in acknowledgement of her orders. "Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit! _Make it mad_!"

"That's my specialty!" replied Ruffnut joyously, delighted at the idea of actually being _told _to cause aggravation and provocation.

"Since when?" interjected her twin-brother furiously. "Everyone knows I'm more irritating! See?" And the blond Viking boy flipped upside down upon his dragon head, pulling a grotesque face at his sister, who retaliated by grabbing at his head with a playful sneer.

Astrid sighed; this was really no time for games.

"Just do what I told you! I'll wait for the right time to make a move and see if I can hit a soft spot or something!" But as the small flight of dragons split off into even smaller wings and circled back around towards the huge grey beast, the young woman felt a shiver of nervousness course down her spine, followed almost immediately by a bizarre sense of pride.

It seemed that she was doing exactly what Hiccup would have done in the same situation...

"Don' worry! We got it all covered!" shouted Snotlout in reply, as the other three dragons descended upon the Red Death.

Astrid glanced over her right shoulder and peered back at the hordes of fleeing Vikings, who were at least smart enough to run from such a monster.

She could just make out the figures of Stoick and Gobber pelting after the rest of the villagers at top speed.

A flickering fire in the corner of her eye attracted her attention, and Astrid suddenly found herself staring at the great row of burning sails and timber...the last remnants of the Vikings' fleet of longboats.

The massive dragon had obviously torched the whole lot to stop its meal escaping.

Such firepower!

She could only hope that the others could hold their own against the beast and avoid its fiery breath.

Circling back around high over the great thing's head, Astrid watched nervously as the twins and their mount shot past the Red Death's huge maw, and promptly evaded a pair of massive fire-blasts with relative ease; at least they could do their job.

'Lout and 'Legs were bashing their weapons hard against their shields right up against the beast's ears in the hope of befuddling it, but the noise seemed to be doing very little.

Astrid cursed out loud as the Red Death opened two extra pairs of evil, grey eyes and peered menacingly at the tiny bugs flitting around its head.

"No blind spot then..." she muttered furiously to herself, mind racing with insane thoughts and crazy notions of what to do...

"_Little one, your head is like the murky waters of churning fjord; difficult to fathom, impossible to traverse, and no use to anyone._

_Calm yourself!_" But for the first time, Astrid found herself slightly frustrated by the idea of being told what to do by a dragon.

"_Hey! I'm not the one who shied away from one little boy and his dragon just because of some scary stories!_" But this was a very bad thing to say indeed.

"_How DARE you insult my courage!_" the Nadder roared into Astrid's mind, and the young woman flinched at the sudden blast of thought.

"_I could buck you from my neck and watch you tumble back to earth without a second thought! You know NOTHING of what that boy did while he was away from your village!_" Astrid sighed angrily, admitting inwardly that she was, in fact, wrong to think of such matters in such a way.

And once again, her curiosity was aroused –

Astrid immediately stopped and focussed her thoughts on the present; if they were to survive this battle, she would have to put all other thoughts aside for the time being and focus all of her efforts onto the single task ahead.

Astrid pressed herself flat against the Nadder's scaly back and directed it straight down towards the huge, grey head of the Red Death.

"_I'm sorry I said that,_" she admitted strongly, closing her eyes briefly to apologise to the dragon upon which she flew. "_It was wrong and inappropriate and I'm sorry!_" Without waiting for a reply, she guided the Nadder straight towards the eyes of the huge beast below.

The blue dragon had, it seemed, both accepted her apology and realised what she was trying to do.

Screeching a mighty battle-cry, the Nadder let out a single shot of fire from its mouth, and swerved immediately to the right to avoid the blast.

The fireball connected directly with the monster's eye, and erupted into a searing explosion of light and heat.

The great beast roared with irritation, and shook its head angrily, but moments later, as Astrid looked back over her shoulder, she saw that the fire had done no damage whatsoever; even the thing's eyes were fireproof.

Coming back around for another pass, she watched in horror as 'Lout and 'Legs continued to bash their weapons against their shields, unaware that all they were doing was causing the dragons that they were riding to lose concentration.

The Nightmare shook its head dazedly, and practically fell sideways into the head of the Red Death, knocking its rider flying.

As Snotlout came to a grinding halt atop the huge beast's head, Fishlegs' Gronckle began to spin in circles, spiralling down towards the stony beach below.

"Snotlout! Do something!" Astrid heard him shriek as the boy hurled his mace over to the beleaguered Viking who now stood precariously atop the head of the Red Death.

The beast had obviously given up on the twins, for it refused to bat even one of its six eyelids as the Zippleback swooped overhead once again, its riders hurling all manner of abuse and insults.

Instead it opted to set its sights on that chubby little Viking and the Gronckle which had so delightfully decided to crash right beside one of its very large and spiny feet...

Thinking like a dragon was obviously something which Astrid was going to have to get used to.

Fishlegs yelled in fright as the Red Death raised one of its huge claws up into the air, preparing to squash the terrified Viking deep into the grey rocks of the desolate beach.

"I can't miss!" yelled Snotlout gleefully, climbing down over the huge beasts head and whacking its eyes repeatedly with Fishlegs' mace. "What's wrong, buddy? Got somethin' in your eye?" With a terrific roar, the Red Death lurched to one side, and its claw came crashing back down just the right of Fishlegs' prone form upon the beach.

He was alright.

For now, at least.

"Yeah!" shouted Astrid approvingly as she and the Nadder swooped over the monster's head. "You're the Viking!" Snotlout looked up momentarily to give her a joyous grin; it seemed that in battle, the boy's horribly mean and selfish attitudes were replaced by real Viking strength and courage.

But the Red Death did not approve of this little ant scratching at its eyes, and with a simple jerk of its head it flicked Snotlout carelessly into the air.

The Viking barely managed to avoid toppling to his death upon the rocky shores below, and clung onto the side of the beast's hideous head.

Guiding the Nadder back around towards the twins, Astrid yelled out to the two of them "Get Snotlout out of there!"

"I'm on it!" they both chorused, but she could still hear them bickering about who was "_on it_" first as the Nadder hurtled away, swooping down over Fishlegs.

"Are you alright?" she called out, and the blue dragon screeched what was obviously the same question to the downed Gronckle.

"Fine, fine!" 'Legs yelled in reply, and the chubby, brown dragon barked what could only be the same answer.

Veering back upwards, Astrid tailed the twins and watched as Snotlout took a massive leap of faith, hurling himself from the tip of the beast's snout, and into oncoming Zippleback, which caught him safely and proceeded to turn away sharply.

Still following the double-headed dragon on its course away from the Red Death, Astrid breathed a deep sigh of relief–

But her brief moment of serenity was cut drastically short by a horrid noise emanating from the gullet of the huge monster behind her...

* * *

><p>As Toothless sped ever onwards towards the Dragon's Nest, Hiccup imagined that he could almost hear the faint sounds of a raging battle.<p>

The terrifying roar of an enraged dragon, the shouts and cries of suffering Vikings, and the screams of his dying companions – shaking angrily, the boy pinched himself, giving himself a proper wakeup to the current situation.

He could only hope that his small delay had not cost the lives of any more Vikings...

Breathing deeply, he reached out to connect with the mind of his faithful friend.

"_In case we don't get out of this one alive bud, I just wanted to say that–_" But Toothless interrupted him with a sharp, rebuking growl.

"_Hiccup, this is neither necessary nor wanted–_"

"_I don't care! Just let me say it anyway!_" The dragon considered for only a second before acquiescing.

"_Fine, let's hear it._"

"_I just want you to know, Toothless, that I'm...so glad I met you, and that it's really been quite an amazing experience having a dragon for a friend, so thank you. There, you happy?_" He had touched a soft spot within the Night Fury's strong heart, and was not surprised to have to wait for an answer, which, when it came, was somewhat tearful and emotional.

"_And may I say, little Hiccup, that it has been truly delightful to have met such a loving, caring and thoughtful Viking, one who would willingly give up his place within his own home village to help a dragon like myself. Thank you!_"

Scratching Toothless' head affectionately, Hiccup allowed a small smile to pass across his face, and was pleased to see that the Night Fury was attempting that ridiculous grin that he occasionally tried to do whenever his human friend was feeling particularly down and out.

"_We've had some good times together, eh?_"

"_And some bad ones too,_" Toothless reminded him, firing a shot of reality into Hiccup's happy memories.

"_Too right..._" the boy concurred with a slight frown. "_But now we're going to do something which will help to set everything right!_"

Toothless growled in admiration of rider's fierce determination, but acted the realist once again.

"_Just remember what I told you about the Red Death...they are far more dangerous than you can even imagine..._"

As the sounds of battle began to break through the confines of Hiccup's imagination and penetrate the surrounding mists of the Eastern Seas, the boy pulled himself back into the physical world and peered ahead at the looming shape of the Dragon's Island.

Toothless snarled and shook his head, and his rider bent down over the dragon's neck, flattening himself against the Night Fury's back, the pair braced itself for anything and everything.

Speeding past numerous stony sea stacks at breakneck speed, Hiccup caught a glimpse of a large mass of Vikings moving along the desolate beaches far below, obviously fleeing from something.

Something...

An immense, grey and red form began to slowly appear out of the swirling mists surrounding the Dragon's Island, its long tail thrashing around like mad, a pair of great, ragged wings furled at its sides...The Red Death was more fearsome in life than any words Hiccup could think of to describe it.

With a large head and jaw, six small, grey eyes and a scaly hide covered in great red spines, it was easily the most evil thing he had ever seen.

And it was angry..._very _angry.

As the two of them drew closer and closer, Hiccup was able to make out the forms of several dragons flitting around the beast's head.

Two winged reptiles swooped over the monster's nose, but it followed them with those piercing grey eyes, and opened its mouth wide.

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat, and his immediate impulse was to shout out in warning, despite knowing that he was still too far away to be heard, instead of trying to roast its intended victims, the beast began to take a deep breath, sucking in as much air as possible; it wanted a meal, and it wanted one now.

This was enough for Hiccup.

His face twisting into an angry snarl not unlike that which Toothless occasionally put on when he was feeling particularly enraged, the boy flicked the Night Fury's tail-fin into the dive position, and set his sights on the monsters maw; he could not be responsible for anyone else's death, directly _or_ otherwise.

Sensing his intentions, Toothless growled appreciatively, and brought his wings around in preparation for the drop.

"Here we go then!" hissed Hiccup, and the Night Fury roared, flattening his ears back against his head and positioned the flaps on the side of his head such that a faint whistling noise was produced by the rushing of air through the slits between the dragon's ears and its crown fins.

Toothless and his rider began to dive, and the faint noise began to increase in strength as the two of them gained speed, climbing in volume until it became a veritable shriek.

As Hiccup peered ahead at the rapidly approaching form of the Red Death, the scream of the Night Fury reached such ear-piercing levels that it resounded off the surrounding cliffs and sea stacks, announcing with forceful vigour the arrival of the boy and his dragon.

What was unmistakably a Deadly Nadder was now barely a couple of yards from the gaping maw of the hungry beast intent on swallowing it whole, and Hiccup's heart leapt into his mouth.

He could see Astrid atop the struggling dragon, trying desperately to keep her hold upon the Nadder's scaly back, but she was fighting a losing battle against the immense volumes of air the Red Death was sucking up in its efforts to snag itself a snack.

In spite of his focussed state of mind, the boy could not stop that familiar cascade of terrified emotions breaking like a torrential flood into his heart.

"I can't lose anyone else!" he whispered in anguish, and directed Toothless' snout straight at the monster's face.

Waiting for just the right moment, the Night Fury opened his mouth wide, gathering air for the blast.

Only when the two of them were merely fifty feet from the huge beast's face, the terrified expression on Astrid's face and that of the Nadder were completely distinguishable, did Toothless let loose.

The piercing scream of the Night Fury combined with the searing roar of the fireball which he now unleashed felt like they were tearing Hiccup's ears out...but the result was absolute.

The fiery comet connected directly with the monster's face, and the heat from resulting explosion reached out even to Hiccup's prone form atop the black dragon, now shooting by a such great speeds that even the familiar streams of condensed air were starting to accumulate on the Night Fury's snout and wings.

Such power was there imbibed in the fireball that the blast sent the Red Death reeling away in shock, and knocked Astrid clean off the Nadder's back, the two of them beginning to fall back towards the earth, albeit on separate paths.

While the spined blue dragon could at least prevent itself from crashing to the ground in a fatal smashing of bones and crushing of limbs, its rider could not.

As Toothless rapidly gained height once again, Hiccup flicked the tail-fin around and the black dragon came to a screeching halt in the air.

Clutching tightly at the harness, the boy was almost thrown from the saddle by the immense force of the Night Fury half-turning for a second time in mid-air, and then pointing himself back to face the towering form of the Red Death.

Astrid's frail form could now be seen falling helplessly towards the ground, flailing in terror at what was about to become of her.

But Hiccup could not let that happen.

_Would _not let that happen.

Throwing himself and the dragon once again into a steep, calculated dive, Hiccup set his sights on the young woman's small body hurtling towards the ground, and flattened himself against the Night Fury's back.

Toothless roared again, speeding down towards Astrid's form.

They had to get there in time...they _had _to.

Hiccup's heart could not survive another terrible blow, such as the death of–

The black dragon swooped directly underneath the grey monster's head, so very close the ground, and Hiccup felt a slight jerk as something connected with Toothless' legs.

Speeding away from the monstrous Red Death, barely ten feet from the ground, Hiccup leaned as far over the dragon's side as was possible without risking his potentially fatal fall from the saddle, but still could not see what he now so hoped for.

"Did you get her?" he cried frantically, barely concentrating on anything else.

Toothless bent his head forwards to look back between his legs, and let out a bizarre noise somewhere between growl and a laugh.

Bringing his scaly snout back up to a horizontal level, the Night Fury, shot Hiccup a brief grin, and the boy felt the knot of tension which had been building up in his stomach loosen.

Astrid was safe.

As Toothless began to slow his flight, the dragon and his rider soared around across the desolate, stony beach, and came in to land just out of sight of the large mob of Vikings.

The throng had now ceased its terrified flight and turned back to watch the battle now raging between the sons and daughters of their village riding their own arch enemies, and a monstrosity never before seen by any Viking's eyes.

Pausing only momentarily in his landing to release Astrid from the clutches of his paws, Toothless crunched down upon the grey pebbles covering the misty shores of the Dragon's Island, now riddled with shards of pulverised stone and pieces of smouldering timber, scattered by the ocean currents from the smouldering husks of the longboats.

Leaping without a second thought from Toothless' saddle, Hiccup rushed around the dragon's side to see the young woman kneeling upon the beach with her hands upon her knees and her head staring directly at the ground, breathing deeply.

"Astrid!

Are you alright?" She was shaking a little, and Hiccup wasn't surprised to feel that she was drenched in a layer of cold sweat as he knelt down in front of her and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"I'm f-fine," she stammered not meeting his gaze.

"...'f you'd c-come only a second l-later –"

"I'm here now," the boy cut in fiercely, terrified that his delay had very nearly cost Astrid her life. "And I'm going to finish this...once and for all." Standing back up, Hiccup made to get back into the saddle, but was surprised to feel the sudden grasp of Astrid's cold and clammy hand upon the back of his.

"W-Wait, Hiccup, wait..." The boy sighed with exasperation, turning back to look at the blond Viking.

"Astrid, I need to get back up there and help the others! This thing's my responsibility now; I'm not going to let it hurt anyone else –"

"Hiccup, I love you."

The words fell like boulders upon the boy's head, smiting him with a sense of the surreal, rendering his mind completely inert.

Did she really just...?

Astrid was now looking straight at him, a slight smile present on her smooth face, her eyes glowing with the moisture of brimming tears, barely visible under her messy, windswept hair.

"Now go! GO!" She gave him a push towards Toothless, who was now baring his teeth savagely and giving Astrid a revolted look, and Hiccup staggered backwards, still reeling from the impact of what she had just said to him.

Finally realising that he was, in fact, not dreaming and instead standing awake and alive on the desolate, grey beaches of the Dragon's Island, the boy turned.

Without another word, he climbed swiftly up onto the Night Fury's neck, and with a flick of his foot, the boy and his dragon were off once more, hurtling skyward with fierce determination.

Not even the furious pounding of Toothless' wings and the growing screeches of an enraged giant could distract Hiccup enough, and the boy turned to look back over his shoulder at Astrid's receding form, now being swarmed by anxious Viking adults.

Shaking his head with a sigh, Hiccup turned once again to look ahead at the Red Death, which was now busy treading on the rest of the Viking longboats which rested in the shallows, splintering them into millions of burning fragments with its boulder-sized, spine-soled feet and roaring in rage.

In spite of his own anger towards the immense beast, which had already claimed the lives of several Vikings that day, Hiccup's instinctive impulse to at least try to end the conflict peacefully kicked in.

Sensing his rider's intentions, Toothless gave a warning growl.

It was evident that he believed the boy's intentions would get them both killed, and precede the deaths of the every single Viking on the Dragon's Island.

"_But I have to at least try,_" Hiccup thought pleadingly, and Toothless hissed in grudging acquiescence.

"_I have to give him a chance._"

Flying slowly towards the immense form of the colossal, grey dragon on the beach below, Hiccup held his breath, his nerves tingling with shock and awe at his own bravery...or perhaps it was just foolishness, plain and simple.

The rest of the gang was nowhere to be seen, and he could only hope that they had escaped and joined up with the rest of the Vikings.

Soaring over the beast's head, the boy leaned over to one side and took a deep breath.

"I know you can both hear _and_ understand me," he shouted down at the Red Death, and all six of the monster's eyes immediately flicked upwards to stare at Hiccup and Toothless hovering above her nose. "So I'm only going to say this once; I want you to leave! Fly back to the Far East, take the rest of your kind with you, and harm no other dragon or human ever again!" The beast paused in its demolition of the few remaining Viking ships, almost as if it were giving his words serious consideration.

"The alternative," Hiccup continued, without batting an eyelid, "is your destruction!"

The dragon's answer was clear and simple.

Letting out a terrific roar of defiance, the Dragon King reared up on his hind legs, effectively doubling his height so that the huge beast's open maw was now right at the level at which Toothless was hovering.

Diving to one side, the boy and his dragon barely managed to avoid the lunge of the furious monster, which slammed back down with its crushing claws, sending sprays of icy water all down the side of the mountainous nest which formed the centre of the island.

"Well if that's your answer...!" Hiccup shouted before flicking Toothless' tail-fin into a climb and shooting off away from the Red Death.

As the two of them reached almost half a mile up in the air, they turned back, and the boy looked down at his immense adversary which still staring up at them with death in his cold, grey eyes.

"That thing has wings," Hiccup spoke fiercely, and Toothless growled in acknowledgement, realising immediately what his rider's plan was. "Let's see if he can use them!"

Turning sharply at the apex of their climb, the two of them were suddenly speeding back down towards the Dragon King, aiming straight for the head once again.

As the Night Fury's scream began to grow once again, tearing at the surrounding air like relentless talons of piercing sound, Hiccup looked down into the beast's eyes.

The Red Death simply stood there, as though contemplative or thoughtful, staring straight back at the boy with all six of his eyes.

But Hiccup knew what was to be done, and he would not falter in his efforts to bring the beast down.

Once again, the terrific scream of the black dragon combined with the scorching sound of his fiery attack to produce an overtone of pure destruction, and the white fireball struck the Dragon King square in the face.

As the pair of them shot over the stony sea stacks behind the grey monster, Hiccup glanced back over his shoulder to see the Red Death lying on its side with black smoke billowing from the blast on his face.

His huge sides heaving with deep breaths, the beast almost seemed like he could hardly find the energy or willpower to get back up and fight...

A huge, ragged wing spread out from where it had been neatly furled at the monster's side, casting an immense, dark shadow over the beach even though the sun was now almost invisible behind a panoramic curtain of dull, murky mist.

Merely a moment later, the Red Death was airborne, his great, grey wings propelling him skyward with massive, concussive beats which whipped up cyclonic gales of dust and pebbles from the desolate beach below.

The first part of Hiccup's plan had succeeded.

"Now I just need to figure out how to take it down," the boy thought to himself, and Toothless concurred with a sharp nod. "At least now that it's flying I can try to make it crash–"

But he had little more time to think, for the Red Death was not only flying, but had set his sights on the Night Fury and his rider, malicious intent visible in his six, menacing grey eyes.

Tearing his gaze away from the strangely enthralling sight of such a monstrosity in full flight, Hiccup checked his surroundings for something...anything that could help him.

A towering, volcanic mountain, countless rocky sea stacks, a stone-grey beach stretching for miles around the island, and a sky filled with billowing black clouds which blotted out the afternoon sun with their bulk, indicating that a storm was on the way...

And into Hiccup's mind exploded an idea that just might work.

Dangerous, to say the least...but it was the best they had, and they both knew it.

Toothless banked sharply, veering back around to look directly at the monster for just a moment, before turning back away to face out to sea, taunting the beast, goading him into chasing the pair of them.

Hiccup was almost deafened by the Dragon King's response, a terrific roar of ear-splitting magnitude...but the boy was no longer scared; this was something which had been a long time coming, and he was prepared for it.

"Come on!" he shouted over his shoulder at the colossal beast, who was now tailing them with all six beady eyes and its entire flying form. "Are you feeling hungry? Come and get me!" The Red Death roared again, and made a dive at the pair of them.

But Toothless was simply far too swift for the grey monstrosity, and swerved to one side with a kind of smooth agility that only the Night Fury possessed.

Growling in anger at his failed lunge, his immense wings beating powerfully to keep him airborne, the Red Death turned and began to fly directly behind the boy and his dragon, giving chase at last.

Swooping over the beach once again, Toothless put in an extra spurt of speed, pushing the two of them forward.

As Hiccup and the Night Fury shot over the stony shores and out amongst the numerous sea stacks, the boy turned to the right to glance back at the island, ever aware of the monster in the corner of his eye.

There, crowded back together on the desolate beach, were the Vikings, all looking up at him, watching his aerial dance with death...Hiccup could only hope that, when it was all over, no matter the outcome, they would still let him choose his own path; stay in the village _or _leave once again...assuming he was still alive.

Shuddering at the thought, the boy glanced back over his shoulder again.

The Red Death was getting closer.

It seemed that, in outright flying pace, they were outmatched by their gigantic opponent, and would very soon be caught.

It was time for the next phase of Hiccup's plan.

Flinching as the monster smashed its way through several sea stacks with pure brute force in its attempts to get to the boy and his dragon, Hiccup glanced back at the beach once again.

It seemed, although his ears may have been deceiving him, that the Vikings were _cheering _him on...perhaps there was hope yet, and not just for his battle with the Red Death.

"Alright Toothless," the boy spoke with determination, "time to disappear!" With a flick of his foot, Hiccup sent the Night Fury into a sudden, steep climb, heading straight for the dark skies above.

"Come on bud!" Veering upwards, the boy could sense the monster's presence still behind him, but now beginning to fall back a little; he couldn't climb quite as fast as the Night Fury.

This tactic would not only buy the two of them some more time, but also brought them closer to the fall of the Dragon King.

The beast, who was evidently less than pleased at seeing his prey speeding away from him up into the cloudy sky, let out another roar...and took in a deep breath.

"You ready, bud?" Hiccup shouted above the howl of the wind, and Toothless gave a loud bark. "Here it comes!" And the two of them fell away to one side, just in time to avoid a huge fire-blast from the monster's gaping maw.

The flames tore through the air with a scorching intensity, but passed harmlessly by the boy and his dragon, and Hiccup gave silent praise to the Night Fury's flying skills and his own awareness; any contact with such an inferno would not be desirable, to say the least.

As raggedy clouds began to whip by Toothless' lithe body, the black dragon continued to beat his wings as hard as he could, sending the two of them ever further skyward, and Hiccup took a quick glance back over his shoulder one last time.

Thrusting itself upwards in hot pursuit was the formidable form of the Dragon King, and below him were the icy seas surrounding the Dragon's Island and the huge nest itself, swathed in great clouds of murky fog, the whole expanse laid out miles below...a fall from this height would be fatal...even for a monstrosity the as enormous as that which now followed Hiccup, determined to catch and devour the boy and his dragon.

As masses of dark clouds began to envelop Toothless' speeding form, Hiccup twisted his foot around a little, and the black dragon slowly began to plateau out.

The rushing wingbeats of the colossal dragon behind them now began to fade a little, and the boy swerved violently left, and then right again several times, determined to lose the beast in the dense, stormy clouds.

After a moment or two, it seemed to have worked, for the concussive wingbeats of the Red Death faded almost entirely...or at least, they seemed to come to a halt, as though the monster was simply hovering there...Hiccup pictured the beast turning agitatedly, peering one way and then the other into the clouds, trying desperately to spot his quarry, and smiled at the thought.

His moment of amusement was short lived, however, for what came next was an experience unsurpassed in ferocity and terror by anything that the boy had ever before experienced.

"_Come out, come out little one...I know you're hiding in there somewhere..._" The thoughts punched directly into Hiccup's mind, as loud and clear as though they had been bellowed straight into his ears by an angry Viking, and as unstoppable as the night itself, relentlessly forcing their way through every last piece of mental defence like shadows of pitch darkness eclipsing the light of day entirely.

_This_ was what Toothless had meant.

"_But you cannot escape me!_" The Red Death was speaking directly to Hiccup, in spite of the great distance separating the two of them, and the boy shuddered at the pure horror embedded in his words.

"_I have seen into your heart, little Hiccup, and it is mine. I will devour you, savouring every last morsel. Your treacherous dragon will go next, he who so blindly turned to human companionship and betrayed his master, and all those Vikings that you love and cherish will follow._"

The Dragon King's words carried tremendous power, and as the cold, moist air of a stormy afternoon continued to stream past Hiccup's face, the young man shut his eyes and tried to lock his mind, cringing at the pain which the beast was now inflicting upon him with mere thoughts alone.

Toothless could sense his rider's agony, and tried desperately to help the boy keep his grip on reality, growling in anger at the monster's cowardly attack on a weaker, human mind.

But his efforts were to no avail.

"_Why prolong the pain?_" the Red Death crooned horribly, now reaching out to touch Hiccup's very feelings themselves. "_Death can be no better than what you are now feeling...the terrible memories you are ever experiencing...the thought the you and you alone are responsible for the deaths of so many..._"

Hiccup could stand it no longer.

Screaming his fury to the sky, tears of agony streaming from his eyes, the young man flicked his foot once more and sent the black dragon into a steep dive back towards the direction from whence the terrible thoughts of the evil beast emanated.

Toothless roared again, enraged that his rider was in such pain, and began to let his scream of war built once again.

As the sound of the Night Fury's attack pierced Hiccup's mind and blocked out every last one of the Red Death's horrible thoughts, the two of them shot down towards the Dragon King, and Toothless let loose.

The fireball slammed into one of the beast's wings, the force and intensity of the heat blasting a small hole in the grey hide, not large enough to cause the monster to lose his ability to fly, but...

Swooping around for another pass, Hiccup wiped the last of the tears of pain from his eyes, and grinned savagely as the Red Death screeched with pain, his head whipping round in an attempt to follow the boy and his dragon...but not nearly fast enough.

As a second fireball tore through the grey fabric of the beast's wing, Toothless roared with equally ruthless joy at the monster's cries of anger and distress.

Again and again they struck, each time ripping open a new hole in the Dragon King's wings, none of them large enough to be crippling, yet all of them utterly necessary in Hiccup's plan for the monster's demise.

Enraged at this seemingly cowardly attack, the Red Death screamed to the clouds, took in another deep breath, and blasted a cyclonic wave of intense flames in all directions, spinning on the spot with powerful flaps form its ragged wings, determined to destroy the traitorous black dragon and his human counterpart.

Speeding away from one last strike against the beast, Hiccup and Toothless both glanced backwards at the great wall of fire rushing up behind them.

"Watch out!" shouted Hiccup, and veered the dragon to one side, desperate to avoid any kind of contact with the searing tongues of pure Hel.

But to no avail.

A small part of the fiery column lashed out at the Night Fury's tail-fin, the intense heat choking the leather wing and causing it to instantly burst into the flames.

Thankfully, the material was tough and would take a little while to burn through fully, but if Hiccup couldn't put the final parts of his plan into action quickly enough, it was going to be a long way down to the ground with a deadly crash at the end.

"Alright, time's up!" he spoke loudly. "Let's see if this works!" In a graceful arc, the boy and his dragon swooped back over and down towards the raging giant, aiming straight for its head once again, but this time with a different goal in mind.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do?" Hiccup jeered as fiercely as he possibly could, and Toothless let out an angry screech, saying just as much in his own way.

The Red Death's eyes instantly widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of the small, black dragon and his rider racing almost directly at the Dragon King, but reacted with the speed of a thunderbolt, opening his mouth wide for the oncoming Night Fury.

Swerving to one side at the last moment, the boy and his dragon just managed to avoid the crushing jaws of the grey giant, and they snapped shut on nothing but air, leaving an enraged and hungry monster with an empty mouth.

Screeching with frustration, the beast turned to face the Night Fury's tail, still beating his wings furiously in order to stay airborne, and gave chase once again, as the Hiccup and Toothless sped away...heading straight down towards the earth.

As Toothless pressed forward, beating his wings faster and faster, Hiccup's eyes began to smart from the icy chill of the stormy air rushing past the two of them at tremendous speeds, and watched as countless dark clouds shot by, many still concealing the ground below them, the ground which they were now hurtling towards at breakneck pace.

This was it; the last stage of his plan...and the most dangerous.

Ever conscious of the fact that his ability to fly was now slipping through his grasp with the slowly burning leather fin attached to the end of his tail, Toothless' eyes widened with fright...they were going to crash.

"Hang in there bud, we're good! Just a little bit longer!" Hiccup tried frantically to comfort the fearful Night Fury, but his own terror at the landing that was yet to come began to stab at his nerves like hot knives of pure horror.

The cold air tore at the boy's face, and Hiccup glanced over his shoulder once more.

The Red Death was directly behind them, plummeting straight towards the ground, intent on destroying the pesky little boy and his traitorous dragon who had caused the Dragon King so much fuss, blinded by rage and frustration...unaware of the danger lurking below the last clouds through which the three of them now plummeted.

The monster began to take in a huge breath, sucking in colossal volumes of air, preparing to blast his prey from the sky...just as Hiccup knew he would.

"Hold Toothless..." he spoke gently to the Night Fury, and the black dragon steeled himself, confident in his rider's abilities.

"Now!"

The two of them spun gracefully in mid air, turning right around to stare back at the looming form of the Red Death, now directly above them...and fired.

The blindingly white fireball shot straight into the monster's open jaws just as the three of them fell past the lowest clouds, and caused the flammable gasses built up in the beast's gullet to erupt into a raging inferno before they were ready to be expelled.

Unable to spit out the fiery maelstrom now raging inside his body, the Dragon King's eyes widened with fear upon realising that the stony shores of the Dragon's Island were now dangerously close and visible, rushing up towards the three of them at a tremendous pace.

Opening his wings wide, the Red Death attempted to decelerate and stop himself from slamming into the rocky beach with deadly impact...and thus the final step of Hiccup's plan for the beast's demise came to fruition.

The numerous small holes torn in the monster's wings by the Night Fury's swift attacks high in the sky had not caused the Red Death to fall from the sky immediately, but now began to rip wide open with the pressing of air from below.

Choking on the inferno building inside him, the monster tried desperately to slow his descent...but to no avail.

There, right before his very eyes but just out of reach, were the two little beings who had brought him low – the boy and his dragon.

Hiccup felt a powerful surge of triumph, but his hopes immediately plummeted again upon realising that he and Toothless were still falling as fast as the Red Death, and would now not only slam into the ground with deadly force, but would also be crushed by the immense body of the Dragon King...torn apart by the following explosion.

Flicking his foot around once more, Hiccup gave praise to Thor that the artificial tail-fin was not yet completely burned out, and Toothless spread his wings wide to bring the two of them to an almost complete halt in the air.

Diving to one side, the Night Fury barely managed to avoid the plummeting form of the Red Death, which tore past them at lightning pace.

Realising how very close they now were to the ground, Hiccup kicked the stirrups one last time, sending the black dragon into a climb, trying to put as much distance between the two of them and –

* * *

><p>Astrid bit her lip, watching in terror as the gigantic form of the Red Death hurtled helplessly towards the ground, the tiny, dark forms of Hiccup and Toothless barely visible against the monster's silhouette.<p>

She had seen it all: the boy's daring game of cat and mouse with the monster, the bright, fiery flashes which had lit up the clouds like Thor's rage incarnate, Toothless' speeding form shooting out of the clouds, smoke billowing from his tail, and finally the perfect shot straight down the beast's throat which ignited the Red Death's innards.

To top it all off, the monster was now going to crash with fatal certainty into the desolate reach over which it had for so long ruled with cruel oppression.

They had won.

But Hiccup was still in danger.

The young man may have avoided being crushed under the beast's falling body, but Toothless' replacement fin could not sustain flight for much longer, and the two of them would most likely have a _very _hard landing ahead of them, even though they were now barely fifty yards from the ground and descending very slowly.

But what came next was terrifyingly unexpected.

Hiccup and Toothless began suddenly to climb very sharply, instead of simply trying to glide down to land softly at the water's edge...but why – and the answer tore asunder Astrid's confusion, with the final crash of the Red Death upon the rocky shores.

A tremendous explosion ripped through the dragon's body, tearing apart scales and skull with equal ease.

The fiery inferno of the beast's death cast intense shadows across the landscape for miles around, its last screech of defiance eclipsed by the immense, concussive blast which emanated outwards across the beach like winds of destruction incarnate.

As the monster's fiery death throes lit up the surroundings like an immense bonfire in the dark of deepest night, the crowd of Vikings was battered by the shockwave from the explosion which swept up a great cloud of dark, grey sand from the desolate beach, and several people were knocked clean off their feet by the powerful blast of heated air.

Bracing herself just in time to stand in the face of the winds, Astrid peered directly into the dusty skies above the growing inferno, searching desperately for any sign that Hiccup was still flying safe...

And there he was, flying straight upwards, barely escaping the rolling waves of flames which licked at the black dragon's tail, trying to capture and consume the two of them in the furnace of the Red Death's demise.

It looked for all the world like they were going to escape–

But then a dark shape loomed above the rider and dragon, a black silhouette extending up from the fires that swelled below.

The Red Death's huge tail swung wildly around, and now began to fall back towards the burning earth, right over the top of Hiccup and Toothless.

Astrid could see the two of them through the dust and smoke of that man-made Hel, trying to swerve out of the way of the gigantic club which threatened both of them with an abrupt end to their heroic flight.

It seemed that Toothless' burned fin could hold out no longer.

As the small piece of charred fabric finally fell away, barely visible against the darkening skies of evening nigh, the dragon turned to brace for the final blow of the Red Death.

Cursing that she could do nothing to help, Astrid cried out in fear, her own voice inaudible above the rumbling firestorm which swelled in the distance.

And then, her heart seemed, for just a moment, to come to a complete stop.

* * *

><p>Hiccup flicked his left foot around again and again, trying to tweak the last remnants of Toothless' prosthetic tail-fin around and bring the two of them into a desperate dive to one side, anything to avoid the looming form of the Red Death's club like tail.<p>

But it seemed that, even in death, the mighty beast would have the last say, and the young man felt the small piece of burned leather fall away, signifying his last loss of flight control for the Night Fury.

Time seemed to tick in slow motion for a few seconds, as Hiccup braced himself for the inevitable impact.

There was a tremendous jerk, a sickening crunching noise, and Hiccup felt a sharp pain shoot up his left leg, which was momentarily crushed between Toothless' body and the massive, grey tail of the Dragon King.

"_I will take you with me, little one,"_ hissed a faint voice in the back of Hiccup's mind, growing ever weaker as the fires of death rushed up to meet the boy and his dragon.

"_Your death will be my very last..._" But even as the horrid voice disappeared entirely, Hiccup was thrown from the Night Fury's back by the violent collision with the Red Death's final strike, and sent spinning back downwards, directly into the raging inferno below.

Helpless and frail in the hands of fate's cruel fires, Hiccup got one last glimpse of the great orange light of the fire which now began to engulf him, heard the faint, terrified cry which belonged to someone very familiar, and fell down...down...down into darkness.

* * *

><p><em>All done.<em>

_I'd just like to make a quick point - telling me to "pls update asap" in your reviews will not make me upload new chapters any faster. The equation of my upload rate versus time is set at a constant two weeks, and such comments will not increase the dependent variable in this case.  
><em>

_I had some great critical reviews for the last chapter, and they actually made me stop and go back from where I'm currently writing in order to make things seem a little more sensible in later chapters. So please, your opinions and comments Leute!  
><em>

_I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a little too much like the film, but for where I want this story to end up, it was entirely necessary this way. Remember that everyone here is seven years older than they are in the film, with different outlooks on life, the universe and everything. Things will start to deviate away from the film again soon enough...  
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_Zwei Wochen!  
><em>

_Lumpyness.  
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	8. Chapter Eight

_Hiya people,  
><em>

_I know I say this every week, but...boy do these two-week intervals fly by!  
><em>

_Now, it took me long enough to get my act together, but I managed to rewrite several sections of this chapter to incorporate some advice I was given a few weeks ago, and I hope the result is satisfactory.  
><em>

_These next few chapters may be fairly dull in comparison with the rest of the story (it was a reel drudge writing them, believe me), but they are necessary to put this tale across in the way I mean it.  
><em>

_In the last chapter, Hiccup, Astrid and the rest of the gang flew frantically from Berk to the Dragon's Nest riding on the backs of those dragons they had once imprisoned. Having arrived back at Berk, Hiccup and Astrid has discovered, to their horror, that Hiccup's father had taken the majority of the tribes soldiers to attack the Nest, having discovered its location by chance.  
><em>

_In the ensuing battle with the Red Death, Hiccup and Toothless managed to throw down the tyranical beast..._

_But at what cost?  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eight: After the Battle<em>

A deathly silence hung over the ruins of the battlefield, as cold and unyielding as the dense, murky fog which covered the desolate shores of the Dragon's Island like a chilling, grey blanket of misery and despair.

A great cloud of ash was slowly settling upon the rocky beach, almost as though the volcanic island itself had erupted and was now spewing dust and earth into the heavens in an attempt to reach up and touch highest Valhalla.

The quiet was broken only by the occasional murmurings of distraught Vikings as they made their way slowly amongst the smouldering ruins of a great monster, slain in battle by a lost boy with no real home and a torn heart, a product of their own, cruel judgement.

But at least they could all make out the faintest sounds of the ocean brushing against the stony shores, or the crackling of the distant longboats which still burned at their moorings on the grey pebbles of that desolate beach.

All but one.

Astrid felt dead to the world.

She had watched, as though in a terrible dream, as Hiccup's form had plummeted down into the immense inferno created by the last breath of the dying monster which had attacked the Vikings as they attempted to seize the Dragon's Nest and kick the reptiles out, thereby driving them away from the lands around Berk forever.

The sleek, black form of Toothless had fallen after the boy, reaching out to him in the hopes of protecting him from the intense heat of the mountainous fireball which had ripped the Red Death apart...but Astrid felt a terrible fear clutching at her heart; the fear that Hiccup was– Words could no longer describe what the young woman now felt, and she stumbled and fell to the ground on her hands and knees, great tears of grief sliding like raindrops down her face.

"Astrid," she heard a voice speak from behind her, and looked around to see a solemn Fishlegs holding a chubby hand out to help her.

"It's alright–"

"No it damn well isn't!" she hissed, attracting the attention of more than just a few nearby Vikings; this was precisely the kind of comfort she didn't want. "_I'm_ the one who forced him to do this! I...I _goaded_ him into attacking that _thing_ with no regard as to what might happen to him or Toothless –"

"Who?" Fishlegs was genuinely surprised at her harsh words, but could not suppress his natural curiosity, and the words had left his mouth almost as though he hadn't noticed.

"The Night Fury," Astrid sighed, sitting back to kneel on the stony beach and wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"It's his name."

"Hiccup _named _his dragon? Gee..." But Astrid was no longer listening.

Something else had caught her attention; a faint moaning, deadened by the dense, grey fog and billowing ash now surrounding the island, but real and present nonetheless.

Getting back to her feet, Astrid held up a hand to silence Fishlegs' babbling, and peered into the gloom, training her eyes and ears to pick up any sign that all hope was not yet lost.

Almost wading through the ever thickening carpet of murky ash settling upon the rocky shores, the young woman pressed forward, passing the charred remnants of the Red Death's huge bones and scaly, grey skin, now torn and shredded by its own fiery death throes.

From side to side, Astrid could make out the forms of countless Vikings and dragons, all wandering together slowly across the misty battlefield, quiet and mournful.

From what she could discern from the detached stories and garbled yarns of how the battle had begun, it seemed that the Vikings had arrived on the island and broken the side of the nest open with catapults, only to have all of the dragons sheltering within flee in apparent fear.

Victory had supposedly been achieved, but the Vikings' moment of triumphant euphoria had been eclipsed very quickly by the dark and disastrous fact that one dragon had, in fact, still been inside.

Astrid had both witnessed and been a part of the ending of this tale...but what truly surprised her was that, after the catastrophic crash of the Red Death, all the other dragons had returned to the nest, and had silently mingled with the humans on the beach, consoling the worried and comforting the injured in any way they could, trying desperately to show that they meant to harm.

It seemed that the Vikings were either too tired to fight, or were perhaps finally beginning to understand exactly what Hiccup – Astrid couldn't bear to even _think_ his name, for fear that it would destroy any last hope that the boy might still be alive.

But this hope had not yet been extinguished.

Astrid pressed on through the ever thickening haze of cold fog and black ash, following the ever growing sounds of stricken wailing which pierced both the air and everyone's hearts and touched the soul with a kind of mourning that could not be described with mere words alone.

And it could no longer be mistaken for anything other than the anguished cry of a wounded Night Fury.

Passing the burned remnants of what appeared to be the Red Death's ribs, which stuck out of the ground here and there like charred, lifeless trees, Astrid came upon what could be best described as a kind of "_clearing_" amongst the cold, withered forests of the dead giant's bones.

This small area of flat, open ground was devoid of the charred, fleshy remains of the Red Death, and appeared instead to be a clear surface of glassy rock, scorched smooth by the intense fire of the beast's dying body.

And in the middle of this stone clearing lay a single, black dragon, whose identity was utterly unmistakable.

Toothless' lithe form shifted only very slightly, barely discernible against the dark stone upon which the it rested.

But the dragon's bright, green eyes stood out like beacons of hope in the mists of despair, searching desperately for someone to help him, opening his mouth occasionally to let out a mournful, heart-wrenching wail.

"Toothless!" Astrid cried, and ran over to the injured Night Fury, who looked back at her with relieved, if still mistrustful eyes.

"Are you hurt? Where's Hiccup?" The first question had an obvious answer, and one that prompted immediate action, but the second made the dragon close his eyes momentarily, before opening them again to peer narrowly back at the Viking woman with what could best be described as disdain.

Astrid opened her mouth part of the way, reaching out a timid hand to touch the dragon's black hide, which was horribly charred in several places, with patches of bright red blood beginning to show.

Toothless let out a strong bark, snapping at her hand with sharp jaws, and the young woman drew back in shock; why was he still acting this way?

As several other Vikings appeared at Astrid's side, murmuring in both fear and awe at what they were witnessing, the Hofferson's daughter knelt down on upon the warm, dusty stone and looked straight into Toothless' vivid green eyes, seeking desperately to make the dragon understand what she was trying to do.

"I only want to help," she whispered with a sad smile, reaching out once again to touch the Night Fury, who now simply closed his eyes and looked away, a single, shining tear running down his scaly cheek and splashing onto the ground, evaporating instantly from the residual heat.

This show of emotion drew yet more amazed whispers from the ever growing crowd, none of whom had ever before believed dragons to be capable of such feelings.

But as Astrid placed a single, soft hand upon the dragon's face, the Night Fury rolled over slightly, groaning with agony, and spread his furled wings wide.

Astrid's heart almost stopped.

There, shielded by the larger form of his faithful companion from the deadly inferno created in the last moments of a monster's death, lay Hiccup.

The boy's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be unconscious, but appeared to have sustained no injuries at all...thanks to Toothless– "Get out of my way!" Astrid was startled by the sudden commotion, and looked over her shoulder to see Stoick the Vast shoving both people and dragons aside in his efforts to get through to where Toothless lay.

"_Move_! I need to see–" But the chief stopped right where he was, staring down at the three of them; Toothless lying there, covered in burns, Astrid with a soothing hand resting gently upon the dragon's head, and Hiccup's unconscious form, still entrapped by his companion's protective form.

Stoick's face changed rapidly from a look of enraged frustration to one of fearful shock; he had obviously not expected anything like this.

Walking slowly forwards, the huge man now also knelt down by Toothless' prone form, and reached out slowly to take the boy from the dragon's grasp, his wide eyes fixated upon the hero who had just saved his tribe.

But the Night Fury's own eyes widened with sudden fear, and he let out another sharp bark, rolling back over to cover Hiccup with his wing and baring a set of razer-sharp teeth at the Viking chieftain.

Now all of the humans in the crowd were staring in awe at the injured dragon, wondering how it was possible that such a heartless beast could care so much for a little Viking boy...Stoick backed away, not wanting to risk a fight with a Night Fury, even an injured one, yet desperate nonetheless to get his son back.

Realising that Astrid was still sitting by the dragon's head with her hand resting upon his scaly face, the chief now removed his helmet and turned to face her, a look of fearful admiration visible even underneath his great, bushy beard.

"Astrid, lass...can you – could you please make sure that Hiccup's alright?" The Vast man was almost whispering, and Astrid could tell that he was being torn apart from within by a maelstrom of mismatched emotions, a situation she was most familiar with.

She nodded, but gave him a sad smile.

"I'll try," she replied quietly, "but Toothless trusts me only a little more than the rest of you." A brief frown crossed the chief's face at the mention of the dragon's name, but his look was one of sad acceptance nonetheless.

Astrid turned back to face the injured Night Fury, still stroking his head gently with her smooth hand, and looked straight into his vivid, green eyes, smiling sadly.

It was difficult to hold the deep gaze of such an intelligent being, one who, it seemed, could see almost straight into your soul, but she did nonetheless.

"Toothless," she spoke gently, putting as much care and love into her words as possible, "I need to see Hiccup. I have to make sure he's alright –" The dragon interrupted her with a deep growling, but did not bare his teeth at her, as he had done with the chief.

Astrid continued to hold the Night Fury's gaze, refusing to look away, determined to make him understand that she had now come to care for Hiccup in a way that only he could possibly begin to understand...and after a few seconds, Toothless closed his eyes, moaned quietly, and laid his head back on the ground, relaxing his wings and indicating to Astrid that she could see the boy.

Silently thanking the black dragon with all her heart, the young woman got up and moved slowly down to the Night Fury's side, keeping a hand upon Toothless' warm body at all times.

Kneeling down by Hiccup's seemingly lifeless body, Astrid was brought to a complete halt for a moment at how terribly pained and tense the boy's face now looked...but with the eyes of the entire village upon her, she could not linger for long without being suspected of having some ulterior motive behind her unusually kind and caring actions.

Reaching down to wrap her arms around Hiccup's chest, Astrid gently lifted the boy up and out from underneath Toothless' protective wing.

But her moment of joy at the feeling of life's drum still beating soundly within the boy's body was almost instantly eclipsed by one of dread, and from the assembled crowd their came a huge, collective gasp, and some terrified murmurings.

Astrid heard Snotlout's audible voice above all the others; "Oh Gods! Look at his _leg!_" Astrid clapped a hand to her mouth, and looked away in horror, but not before she had seen the full extent of Hiccup's injury.

The young man's left leg had been horribly burned below the knee, and all that remained was a charred stump of mangled flesh and bone extending just down to his ankle.

In spite of Toothless' efforts to protect his rider, Hiccup had been exposed to the destructive inferno of the Red Death's demise, and had paid a heavy price for his actions in bringing the beast low...perhaps even the ultimate price; Astrid only knew of one other Viking who had suffered such a mutilation at so young an age, and the childhood memory had only remained with her because the young woman so injured had died shortly afterwards.

But Hiccup couldn't die...he _couldn't_...not now...

Stunned with shock, Astrid simply knelt there with Hiccup's limp, unconscious form held tightly in her arms, staring down into his pale, freckled face, her mouth slightly open, trying desperately to hold back the tears...until Gobber the Belch came to the rescue.

"Come on Astrid," he coaxed gently, the man's own voice laden with sorrow and barely audible above the fearful murmurings of the assembled Vikings and dragons. "We need to get him home and to the healer right now; it's the only way we can still save him.

Nodding in silent agreement, Astrid made to stand up and place Hiccup into Gobber's care...but if she had been shocked by the revelation of the boy's potentially fatal and permanently crippling injury, it was hardly comparable with the fright she now received from Toothless.

The Night Fury gave a terrific roar, and in spite of his own pain, heaved himself suddenly up onto all fours, leaning to one side from the numerous injuries he had received, including harsh burns all down the length of his body, and lurched forwards, knocking Astrid to the ground and reaching out to Gobber with talons extended, a look of protective rage in his narrow, green eyes.

But what happened next was even more shocking, for even as Gobber stumbled backwards onto his prosthetic leg in surprise, Hiccup's body resting in his arms, and countless Vikings started forwards, drawing their weapons to protect one of their own from their arch-enemy and nemesis, Astrid witnessed something truly astounding.

Almost half a dozen dragons, including, it seemed, the ones which Astrid and the others had ridden into battle against the Red Death, leapt forward over the roaring crowd of angry Vikings and landed directly upon Toothless, pinning him to the ground through sheer weight of numbers.

The Night Fury cried out in agony as he collapsed upon the hard stone, and the noise went right to Astrid's heart, causing her eyes to well with tears once again at the pained wail.

But the screech contained something else, a kind of distressed caring, a fear for something...someone other than himself; Toothless was utterly terrified by the idea of handing an injured and helpless Hiccup over into the care of the Vikings who had persecuted him for so long, yet the other dragons could see that it was utterly necessary in order to preserve the boy's life, and were acting in the best interests of everyone present.

All of these events were having an even greater effect on the surrounding Vikings, many of whom were now clearly wondering if they weren't, in fact, just dreaming.

Toothless struggled against the dragons holding him down against the ground, crying out again and staring up at Astrid with a pleading look now present in his fearful green eyes.

But although the Night Fury was the king of the skies, a match for several other dragons no matter the time or place, he could not escape their pressing trap in his current state, and lay helpless as Gobber steadied himself and gave the black dragon a look of awed fear.

Picking herself slowly up off the ground, Astrid impatiently pushed aside the helping hands and concerned questions from her fellow Vikings, and returned the Night Fury's pitiable look with her own sad gaze.

"I'm sorry Toothless, but it's for the best; we've got to help Hiccup." With at least six dragons holding the frightened Night Fury to the ground Astrid turned her attentions back to the blacksmith, who was still holding the unconscious Hiccup in his arms and now looked to Stoick for instructions.

The chief, who had observed the whole scene through a pair beady eyes now turned to stare out to the longboats up on the shore of the Dragon's Island, most of which had either been splintered into countless lumps of fragmented timber by an enraged giant, or set alight by its fiery breath, and were just as useless.

"Right..." he muttered running a hand back over his head, before turning back to address the rest of his tribe...dragons and all.

"It looks like we've only got two or three boats which are still sea-worthy and can get us safely back to Berk," he boomed, and all murmuring amongst the assembled throng ceased, every pair of ears turning to listen.

"So we'll be sending the young..." he paused briefly to look at Astrid, who was now surrounded by the rest of the gang, "and the injured back first." Pausing to take a deep breath, Stoick now continued.

"One other thing," he spoke commandingly, the man's voice carrying far over the mixed crowd of Vikings and dragons and echoing off the highest cliffs of the Dragon's Nest.

"As is evident from the events which have just taken place, we, and I mean _we _have some...issues to sort out. I'm sure that a lot of you are feeling very confused and agitated right now, and certainly uneasy about what had happened here today, and in particular the implications it will have, but until we get our immediate problems sorted out, my order is for no Viking to harm a dragon in any way from now on!" Stoick's voice now held a kind of powerful authority, one which no one had ever heard before, and everyone present took him seriously.

"You know what to do, so get to it!" As the combined crowd of dragons and Vikings began to disperse, all of them heading back towards the shores, a rather bedraggled looking Stoick singled Astrid out from the throng and called out to her.

"Over here lass," he sighed, scratching the back of his head absentmindedly.

Astrid wasn't at all afraid; the chief was far too tired to be angry with her for anything, but this didn't stop her feeling slightly apprehensive about the approaching conversation.

The last time that the two of them had discussed anything to do with Stoick's son was seven years ago, and things had been _very _different back then.

Her eyes suddenly drawn to one side by a limping figure, Astrid stared longingly at Hiccup's limp, form still visible in the Gobber's huge arms, even as the blacksmith made his way back towards the remaining salvageable ships.

Praise be to Thor, for the fire which had completely burned the boy's foot away had been hot enough to cauterise the wound entirely, and there had been little or no bleeding to speak of.

But although Hiccup was now in a somewhat stable condition, Astrid's overwhelming desire was, nonetheless, to be with him at all times, to care for him and make sure that no more harm would come to him, ever again

"Astrid!" The sound of her own name snapped like the crack of a whip in her mind, and the young woman turned back to the source of the voice with surprise.

"What?" she asked innocently, staring at the burly chief with wide eyes.

Stoick gave her a look which said clearly that he was not impressed by her apparent lack of attention.

"Oh, right!" And she hurried straight over to the Vast man, an apologetic grimace lacing her lips. "What is it, chief –?"

"Astrid, don' make me tell yeh again, it'll be Stoick, o' nought! Got it?"

"Yeah, I...sure, Stoick it is." The chief shook his head with slight frustration, before continuing.

"Actually..." He stopped, giving her a strangely quizzical look.

"Never mind; We'll talk later." It was a brief, bizarre conversation, and one which left Astrid quite taken aback.

"Yeah...later," he spoke quietly, and turned away to follow the throng back to the wrecked boats on the distant shore.

Astrid simply stood there, watching him go with feelings of deepest regret and sadness churning within her tires mind.

She could easily excuse the chief's odd behaviour...he had, after all just lost his son...all over again.

A quivering moan brought her attention back to the world of reality once more, and Astrid turned to see a dismal sight; she had completely forgotten about Toothless and the other dragons.

The Night Fury was still straining slightly against the pressure of what now counted as a dozen dragons weighing him down, although his strength was now very much depleted, and his numerous injuries were not helping at all.

"Oh Toothless," she sighed, walking over to kneel down beside the dragon's head, and the black dragon gazed up at her with mournful eyes. "Hiccup's going to be fine," she spoke softly reaching down to place a gentle hand upon the Night Fury's head.

Toothless flinched at her touch, but the cold look of anger in his eyes began to fade...and he began to weep.

Astrid watched as huge, swollen, steaming tears rolled silently down the dragon's cheek, and splashed like raindrops onto the dusty, black stone upon which he lay.

Suppressing all but the most intense of her own emotions, the young woman let several of her own tears escape, and gave the Night Fury a slight smile.

"Toothless, I want to make sure that you're taken care of as well, but I won't let these dragons release you until I can be sure that you won't try and stop us from helping Hiccup; do you understand?" The black dragon stared at her with piercing eyes for a few moments, but Astrid held his gaze with her own stern look, determined to make him see her point.

And after a moment, Toothless closed his eyes once again, and gave what was unmistakably a slow nod.

Sighing with relief, Astrid nodded to the dragons still pinning the Night Fury to the ground, all of whom promptly stepped away, revealing a somewhat flattened Toothless lying on his side on the warm ground.

Moving in to inspect the full extent of his injuries, Astrid raised a hand to her mouth in fright at what she was seeing.

Many of the burns which the black dragon had suffered from the Red Death's fiery demise were purely superficial; the Night Fury's thick hide had been proof against burns even as harsh as these.

It was also unlikely that he had sustained any broken limbs from the drop into the inferno, as the cyclonic gale of flames rushing upwards would have softened his fall to the point where any harm stemming from the inevitable collision with the ground would have been limited to mere bruises and bumps.

But Toothless' real injuries were caused, horribly enough, by that which had once allowed him to fly.

The harness which had been strapped around the Night Fury's torso and had extended back down his tail to help him fly was now barely recognisable as the intricate and unique contraption that it once had been.

And although the leather sections of the rider's saddle had been almost completely burned away, the metal parts had been melted to a degree and become, for a short time, quite malleable.

The molten wiring had then burned deep grooves into the dragon's black scales, and had gone so deep that they might have even cut through to his flesh.

In yet, in spite of these utterly horrific and excruciatingly painful lacerations, Toothless' immediate and sole concern upon being found by the Vikings had been the safety of his rider...

Her heart weeping with grief that Hiccup's beloved friend and companion was so badly hurt, Astrid immediately knelt down at the Night Fury's side and put a hand to one of the distorted wire lines in order to try and wrench it away from the dragon's body, but immediately recoiled in pain; the metal was still too hot for human hands, and it was likely that the deformed rigging would need to be removed in a safer environment, one where Toothless could receive immediate care if the wounds began to bleed...or worse.

"Alright, gather round you lot," the young woman commanded immediately, and all of the other dragons present immediately pressed in around her, apparently eager for instructions.

Astrid, commanding the attention and respect of almost a dozen fire-breathing reptiles?

These were strange times indeed.

Glancing back over at the great throng of Vikings and dragons, now assembled around the few remaining vessels capable of being salvaged, Astrid noticed that the rest of the gang had managed to sneak away from the crowd, and Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Nuts were now all hurrying towards her with anxious looks on their tired faces.

And right then and there, it came to her.

Signalling to the other young adults to hurry on over, Astrid held up a hand for the encircling dragons' patience; she would need everyone's help if her new plan to help Toothless and possible even the rest of the village was going to work.

"Alright you guys, come on over," she called out to the other four Vikings, "I need ALL of you to listen; this is important." Glancing back at Night Fury's prone form, Astrid felt that, for once, she was really going to do something to help set things right.

All those years of blindly following archaic Viking traditions would mean nothing if she could just get this one act right.

And if it meant nothing to anyone else, at least the young woman would finally be at peace with herself.

"So," she spoke strongly to everyone present, dragons _and_ Vikings, "I've got an idea to help everyone; here's what we're going to do..."

* * *

><p>Merely three longboats of the thirty-strong fleet which had left Berk earlier that day had been salvaged and were floating...only two of which could actually sail.<p>

These ships were now being loaded up with all the wounded Vikings, including Hiccup, as well as bodies of the dozen or so Vikings who had been killed by the cascade of boulders which had been cast as though by the hand of some capricious god across the beach as the side of the Nest had split open to reveal the monstrous Red Death.

The few Vikings who were significantly older or younger than what was considered the to be the "prime warrior age" were also being coaxed into taking their places on board the pair of boats.

However, even with both ships filled with as many people as was safe, there were still perhaps two hundred Vikings on the beach, all of whom would have to wait quite some time to be ferried back to Berk.

Reaching the edge of the assembled crowd, Astrid pushed her way past many taller Vikings to reach the two boats on the shore, noticing uneasily that the throng had now separated itself out into humans on one side and dragons on the other.

Stepping out into what could best be described as a clearing at the centre of the great sea of Vikings and dragons, the young woman saw that Stoick was now doing a final check to make sure that all of the right people were on board.

Over his shoulder, Astrid noticed that Gobber was hobbling slowly down the length of one of the ships, Hiccup's limp form still held safely in his arms.

Biting back the immense wave of pained longing that washed over her at the thought of Hiccup's helpless, injured form resting alone on the misty deck of the longboat, the blond Viking walked right up to stand in front of Stoick and planted herself resolutely in front of him.

Realising that Astrid's bold form was rooted directly before him, the chief turned with surprise to look at her.

"Astrid? What are you doing? I thought I said that all of you younger folks should –" But the young woman cut over his babbling with such force that Stoick was struck dumb.

"I don't think that will be necessary," she said clearly and neatly, drawing curious looks from both the Vikings and dragons around, "as I have a better idea...for getting _everyone_ home safely." Giving her a look that clearly said "_what-in-Midgard-are-you-trying-to-say-to-me-you-silly-woman?_", the chief planted his hands firmly on his hips, and leaned forward reply–but as a sudden wave of gasps from the Vikings assembled mingled with the awed crowing of the countless dragons present and cut though the stillness like a gentle wind of wonder and amazement, Stoick leaned back and turned with surprise to look up at the sky, and at whatever it was that had attracted everyone else's unwavering attention.

Floating through the darkening skies of a cool spring evening was what appeared to be the wreckage of a longboat, the dragon-shaped bowsprit eerily visible against the white clouds.

The elongated form of a lone, black dragon could just be made out upon the ship's deck, one of his great wings hanging loosely over the side, and above the flying vessel was a veritable cloud of countless dragons, all with ropes extending down from their bodies and tied to the boat at various locations.

Riding upon the front few dragons was the rest of the gang, guiding the flight onwards, heading back towards Berk.

And as Stoick turned back to stare at the young woman before him with a kind of awed admiration, Astrid put forward her daring suggestion.

"We can all ride dragons back to Berk," she spoke loudly, and countless heads turned to look at her, the stares of shocked Vikings and fearful dragons pressing in upon her.

But Astrid wasn't worried; on the contrary, her own desire to help and nurture the new relationship now budding between the two races gave her courage enough to stand before them all with determination and conviction.

Seizing the moment, she dashed over to one of the longboats still grounded in the shallows and climbed up onto its prow, the eyes of everyone present still upon her.

Straightening up to look over the throngs of Vikings and dragons assembled on the desolate shore before her, Astrid took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"Think about it!" she yelled out over the huge crowd, her words carrying far in the still air of the deepening dusk and echoing off the distant cliffs of the Dragon's Nest.

"There are more than enough dragons here to help everyone get back to Berk safe and sound long before midnight. Of course, the wounded will have to travel on the boats, as they will need to be cared for at all times, but what is stopping the rest of you from simply facing your fears like you all did with that monstrosity, and taking a step into the unknown?" But as the agitated murmurings of numerous Vikings rose above the crowds, Astrid continued forcefully.

"And the same goes for you!" she called out, now clearly addressing the hundreds of dragons assembled to one side.

"Now that your enslaver is dead, you are _all _free to live how you choose, at peace with the humans who, whether you like it or not, call these islands home!"

With the nervous chatter and talk of the throng before her now rising to such levels as to potentially render Astrid's voice completely inaudible, the young woman continued as quickly as she could, now shouting over the din.

"Is it really so much to ask?" she yelled, her anger beginning to rise within her once again, and the crowd quietened down a little, listening intently to her frustrated words. "Hiccup gave his leg, perhaps even his _life _today so that you could _all _live in peace and harmony with one-another, free from the tyranny that was the Red Death! All I'm saying now is that you should at least _put up_ with each other for a little while!"

It seemed that her words were really having an effect on the gathering of Vikings and dragons before her, and Astrid herself was starting to hurt inwardly again; the mere mention that Hiccup might have given his life for the village that had persecuted him so as a child sent pangs of grief through her head, and the young woman pressed on, determined to get a result before her own confidence gave out.

"Look, it's really quite simple!" she shouted over the growing wave of murmurings which rose up once again from the throng before.

"And if it helps," she yelled, starting to become hoarse from the tremendous effort of holding her own against the countless voices of the unnerved crowd, "why don't all you Vikings leave their weapons on the ships, and you can collect them later! You won't be needing them for a while now anyway–"

But she had really struck a nerve with this last sentence, and her voice was now completely washed away amidst a tide of angered shouts and insults.

"Traitor!"

"Siding with the dragons!"

"You just want us all _killed_!"

Now fighting to keep her temper down, Astrid bit back the wave of furious retorts which welled up in her mind like a maelstrom of pure anger, and turned to look down at Stoick in utter desperation.

Only he now held the power to help her set the situation right, and she stared down at him, pleading silently with him for help.

The chief's eyes seemed to burn holes in her head with their penetrating stare, full of worry and suspicion, but Astrid held his gaze, determined to make him see that this really was the right thing to do.

And after a moment, he finally gave in.

Climbing up to stand beside the young woman on the prow of the longboat, Stoick placed his cupped hands up to his mouth and shouted.

His huge voice exploded over the beach, reverberating off the cliffs and sea stacks with a power inherent only in a Viking chieftain.

"QUIET!" he roared, and all heads, both human and Viking immediately turned to look directly at him.

The sudden silence was deafening.

"You'd better be sure about this!" he hissed to the blond woman beside him, and Astrid gave a timid nod, now feeling tiny and completely insignificant next to the vocal might of such an expressive man.

"Right!" shouted Stoick back to the crowd.

"I think Astrid is right!" Keeping his own voice way above the angered murmurings of the crowd, the chief continued.

"The easiest, safest, and quickest way for all of us to get home, right now, is riding on dragons! Believe me when I say that I never expected to find myself saying such a thing, but there it is!" Stoick was now commanding complete silence from everyone present, his words carrying terrific meaning.

"Now, I can't force you dragons to help us, and I would certainly rather not try," the chief boomed, now addressing the reptilian throng directly, "but I can do this much to help convince you that no Viking is going to harm any one of you!" There was a collective intake of breath from the assembled crowd, as every human and dragon knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Vikings," called Stoick solemnly, "if you trust me, and call me you chief, I want you all to lay down your weapons."

There was a deathly stillness for a moment, as though everyone was trying to comprehend exactly what they had just heard.

And then, slowly but surely, there arose a faint rustling from the Viking crowd, as a few of the humans began to unclasp their sheaths and place down their axes, resting them upon their shields.

And as more and more followed suite, Astrid breathed a huge sigh of relief; her plan had worked.

Glancing up at Stoick, she gave the chieftain his final prompt to secure a long-lasting and happy relationship between the two races.

"And now," continued Stoick, still with his terrifically powerful voice carrying far over the crowd to reach everyone's ears, "dragons, if you will, permit a Viking to ride upon you back to Berk. This I ask of you, and no more."

And, slowly once again but growing in might, the two crowds moved back amongst one another, dragons and Vikings mingling once more.

Astrid watched with joy and even a little pride as countless numbers of the fire-breathing reptiles knelt down upon the stony shores to allow a single Viking each to climb atop them and hold on tight to a horn here or a spine there, ready to fly.

"We'll see you safely back at Berk!" Shouted the chief, waving his arms at the great flight of dragons as every single one of them began to take off from the desolate beach, filling the dark skies with a glorious mixture of intricate colours and shapes, the forms of fearful yet resolute Vikings clinging to their backs.

The cries, roars and squawks of the great flock echoed around the grey cliffs and sea stacks, growing fainter and fainter as the dragons climbed higher and higher into the sky.

Turning back to Astrid with a look of pure astonishment at what he had witnessed on his face, Stoick shook his head in amazement, but then looked down at the young woman before him.

"You too, Astrid," he spoke sternly, albeit with a gruff smile visible even underneath his immense, bushy beard.

"Go with them. You of all people deserve to get home safely and quickly –" But Astrid interrupted him; she had one final request.

"Chief, grant me a favour," she said with a slight yawn, and the Vast man smiled widely down at her.

"Anything, lass. After what you've just done, you deserve it, whatever it is–"

"Let me stay with Hiccup." The smile faded a little from Stoick's face, and was replaced by a curious stare.

"But whatever for, lass? He's going to be absolutely fine; Gobber's looking after him –" But Astrid's spree of interruptions continued.

"Just...I...I–it's my fault he lost–he got injured. I just...I need to stay with him, for...it's important to me." Her voice faded to a mumble, and the young woman's gaze faltered, unable to meet the chief's suspicious glare anymore.

But a moment later, Stoick rubbed the back of his head, sighed indifferently, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Very well," he said, and Astrid's heart leaped within her. "Just don't get in Gobber's way. I'll be on the other boat, and we'll be needing some help to get out of this mist safely, especially now that it's getting so dark –"

But the sudden beating of wings told Astrid that help was already at hand.

Turning to peer up through the deepening gloom of the evening at the source of the noise, the young woman was delighted to see the silhouette of a Deadly Nadder descending upon the ship, having broken away from the rest of the flight, which was now making its way straight for the Viking village.

The blue dragon alighted upon the wooden deck, right in front of Astrid, its vivid yellow eyes looking directly at her through the twilight.

"Hey there..." spoke Astrid softly, moving forward to stroke the side of the beast's scaly face, and the Nadder crooned softly; the bond of friendship that had formed between the two of them existed ever yet.

An audible huffing sound told Astrid that Stoick still wasn't completely happy with the idea of having a dragon on board the boat with the wounded, and the young woman looked over her shoulder to see the chieftain stomping away from her back down onto the beach.

He and several of the other Vikings who had volunteered to stay with the ships were still carting all of the warriors' fallen weapons back on board; nothing was to be left on the island.

Turning back to look at the Nadder, Astrid was intrigued to see that the blue dragon was now nudging its head towards a pile of what appeared to be wooden flares lying on the deck.

"Clever clever –" But she suddenly stopped; Astrid had been about to say "girl", but had realised that the dragon could just as well be a boy, and did not want to risk insulting it, or rather, _them_, by calling them one or the other...and getting it wrong.

"A-Are you..." she stammered, looking nervously at the dragon, who stared reproachfully back at her as if to say '_how-can-you-not-have-worked-it-out-by-now-you-slow-little-thing'_?

"A-A boy or a girl...?" But the Nadder suddenly shook their head vigorously, and batted at the stack of unlit torches with one of their wings, causing the sticks to clatter about noisily.

"Fine, fine..." Astrid shrugged in acquiescence, "I get it; duty first, hey?"

Picking up a handful of the flares, the young woman held one aloft, right in front of the dragon's nose.

And one little puff of air later, and the new beacon of light was casting a bright, orange glow through the grey gloom of the evening, carving deep shadows into the woodwork.

Her eyes having been so accustomed to the darkness for so long, Astrid now squinted up at the burning torch in her hand, and smiled.

The flames seemed to represent a kind of rekindled hope for her, their flickering forms illuminating even the darkest corners of the Viking's shredded mind, soothing and softening the pain and grief of recent loss, and even the Nadder perked up a little, nudging with vigour the rest of the unlit flares.

Soon enough, the two of them had placed the lighted torches all around the sides of the two vessels, and the combined light from all of the flames threw a warm glow over the surroundings, penetrating the swirling fog of nightfall and lighting the way back home.

Having secured all the loose bits and bobs on the ship's deck, and made sure that everyone was ready to leave, Astrid now stood on the stony shores of the Dragon's Island, staring off into the night at the bleak form of the mountainous nest, now being swallowed by the encroaching darkness.

Her mind slowly clogging with the mists of exhaustion, the young woman barely heard the sound of her own name being called, as several burly Vikings pushed the two longboats off from their groundings and into deeper water, before jumping on board themselves.

Astrid followed them with a tremendous weight in her heart, almost as though she were leaving something behind on the desolate beach...

The cost of saving Hiccup's life had been high indeed.

* * *

><p>As both vessels finally set off, sailing ponderously past the towering forms of countless sea stacks, the Viking woman turned back to the Nadder, who had decided, it seemed, to stay with the ships, and to make sure that they both made it back to Berk safely.<p>

"So..." she mumbled, eyelids fluttering a little, "you're gonna tag along?" The blue dragon nodded slowly, staring back into Astrid's eyes...and tried to suppress a huge yawn.

Astrid chuckled.

"I guess even dragons need to sleep sometime..." Closing her eyes momentarily, the young woman was surprised to see a scene flash through her mind, as crystal clear as though it were the reality of the present.

The picture in her mind's eye of the astounding vistas she had laid eyes on earlier that day during flight prompted her to speak once more; there were still questions for which she required.

"Tell me something," Astrid spoke quietly, placing a gentle hand once more upon the dragon's brow.

Tired though she was, the young woman seemed to have no trouble at all connecting with the Nadder's mind, and even less sustaining the link.

"_How did you know to find me back at Berk?_"

"_I followed you,_" came the answer, clear and simple. "_I...I had hoped that your fateful reunion with that boy would bring to pass some great endeavour of heroism, and I was right._ _But I had not expected the end of the dragons' slavery or the sacrifice that young Hiccup has had to make in his pursuit of this goal._ _And now, young one, I confess, I simply must sleep._" Astrid smiled, her eyes still closed.

"_Go right ahead,_" she replied, and went to retract her hand and thus break the bond which now tied the two of them together in mental conversation.

"_But let me ask one more thing,_" she added quickly, holding on for just a moment longer.

"_Are you a boy or a girl?_" she questioned once again, but received a exasperated sigh in return.

"_I'm what you call "a girl"...are you happy now?_"

Smiling once again, Astrid removed her hand from the dragon's forehead, and opened her eyes.

But the Nadder, it seemed, had had to exert more of an effort to sustain the mental link, and promptly lay down on the ship's deck without so much as batting an eyelid.

"Pleasant dreams..." the Viking girl murmured, before turning back to face the bow of the ship, rubbing her eyes once again, yawning with extreme tiredness.

And then she noticed that Gobber was staring at her with a look of awe on his toothy features...and perhaps a little fear, too.

"Blimey Astrid," he spoke with raised eyebrows, casting a small glance down at the resting Nadder, "you can _speak _to dragons?

What did you _do_ while you were gone?" Her mouth agape with the force of another exhausted yawn, Astrid shook her head a little, and blinked a couple of times before answering the blacksmith's question.

"It isn't...I'm not really _talking _with her; we're..._communicating_. Don't ask me to explain how, as I have honestly no idea. That's probably a question for Hiccup..." Her voice faded off once more at the thought of little Hiccup lying on the deck all by himself on the front of the ship, and she started forward, suddenly realising that she wasn't by his side.

Gobber grimaced.

"Aye, indeed it is...you'll be wanting to stay with him, then?" Astrid staggered a little, leaning against the mast, her exhaustion almost overcoming her.

"Y-Yeah..." she mumbled, blinking again, but the blacksmith grabbed from a small wooden chest behind him a thick, fur blanket, and thrust it at Astrid with a smile on his face.

Wrapping it around herself as tightly as she could the young woman returned his smile with a slight shiver; she had completely forgotten how cold she was feeling.

"Just keep an eye on the lad...let me know if anything at all happens. He may be alright now, but..."

Gobber's voice trailed away, and he shook his head, turned, and hobbled back down to the stern of the boat to converse with some of the other Vikings onboard the small longboat.

Astrid watched him dazedly for a moment longer, before shaking her head, yawning widely once again, and staggering down towards the prow of the ship, where Hiccup's lifeless form could be seen beneath a great heap of warmest blankets.

Kneeling down at the boy's side, the young woman shifted the furs just enough so that his pale, freckled face was visible in the orange glow of the numerous torches now clamped down all around the side of the boat, pushing aside the veil of night's deepest darkness and lighting the way home.

Hiccup seemed, strangely enough, to be at peace.

Though the muscles in his face twitched ever so slightly from time to time, the pain of his physical injuries cutting through into his mind even in this deepest of sleeps, the underlying pain of tremendous emotional strain which had, until now, been ever present, was nowhere to be seen.

Smiling at the mere fact that he was, at least, no longer hurting inwardly, Astrid lay back and rested against the wood of the bow, resting her head against the dragonesque bowsprit, her tired eyes still fixated upon Hiccup.

But in spite of her desire to stay awake, the weariness of such a long day was finally beginning to catch up with her, and Astrid closed her eyes, trapped ever yet in a maelstrom of deepest thought...

She had only really known Hiccup for a little more than a day, but it seemed like countless years had passed since she had arrived at the great hall of hollow bastion, only to be confronted by a terrifying tornado of resentful rage incarnate.

The day had started out so well, with a fresh start for a sad young man ready to make amends and help save the very village which had cast him out so callously so many years ago...and ended with terrific struggle against the bonds of slavery and trappings of a war which had threatened to tear apart the very fabric of society in the village of Berk.

Thanks to Hiccup, the Vikings would have their peace at last...but at what cost?

And thanks to Astrid, Hiccup had lost his leg.

There was no simpler way of putting it; she, Astrid Hofferson, was responsible for an injury so horrific and debilitating that it could be likened to the loss of a true friend...without his leg, Hiccup could no longer fly.

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek, and the blond Viking opened her eyes once more to stare at her surroundings.

As the mists of fatigue rolled in to veil her mind in a blanket of pure exhaustion, Astrid took one last look at the Nadder, now sleeping peacefully to once side on the ship's deck, still receiving worried glanced from the watchful Vikings present, at Gobber's metal prostheses which gleamed red in the light of the flares, at Hiccup's pale face, partially obscured by a mop of unruly brown hair, and at the distant figure of Stoick the Vast, standing alert and observant at the stern of the other boat.

Contemplating everything that had now come to pass, Astrid barely even noticed as sleep's grip stole stealthily over her mind, wresting and relieving from the young woman her final vestiges of conscious thought and worry.

* * *

><p><em>I know, I know...another chapter that's a bit too much like the movie. But there were differences which were implemened by the changed scenario for this conflict!<em>

_Once again, your proofing and reviewing is very much appreciated people.  
><em>

_Oh, and I'd just like to apologise for the higher concentration of dodgy spelling and grammar in this chapter. My usual, fantastic proof-reader was somewhat busy...it just goes to show what a fantastic job they do.  
><em>

_Two weeks, people.  
><em>

_Lumpyness.  
><em>


	9. Chapter Nine

_At long last, it is done._

_Exams are finished._

_From now on, I promise I will put the majority of my free time focus into this story and its sequels until they are all done - at least until the next exams come around in November!_

_This chapter, the next, and the epilogue to Part Two will all be going up in quick succession._

_I'm just doing final proof-reading and editing - I wrote these parts almost half a year ago, and needed to go back and fix up a couple of things based on feedback I've been receiving - which, by the way, is so helpful I simply can't put it into words!_

_Now for a recap..._

_Over the course of this tale, Astrid has ventured out in search of Hiccup and Toothless, and brought them back, but, sadly, right into conflict with the enslaver of the dragons._

_Hiccup fell into the inferno of the Red Death's demise, and the dismal, grey aftermath was more heartfully painful than anyone could have imagined._

_However, with fierce determination and the help of the Viking chieftain, Astrid finally created the first link between Berkians and dragons, and took her village on the first step to a better future._

_Boy, that sounded a little like a politician's drivel!_

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nine: Wounds of the Flesh<em>

Astrid sat bolt upright, her blurred and indistinct dreams turned upside down by a strange and terrifying sound.

A piercing scream, loud and clear seemed to cut the darkness like a tongue of fire, carrying with it such terrible pain and suffering...

Her waking mind suddenly going into overdrive, the young woman lurched up and tripped on her blanket, crashing to the floor.

Peering through the twilight, she grabbed the stump of an aged candle, shoving the wick deep into the faintly glowing coals and embers of last night's fire, heart pounding with shock and fright at the horrible, tortured yelling coming from somewhere above her.

As soon as the wax began to melt and a tiny flame caught on the candle, Astrid squinted around at her surroundings.

She had been slumped in a hard, wooden chair with only a single layer of fur shielding her from the cool air inside the chieftain's residence...

Realisation blasting through her mind like a sudden autumn gale, the Viking woman knelt for only a moment, mouth agape at what she was hearing.

That voice, that pained, terrified scream, belonged to Hiccup.

Starting forward, she tripped once more on the thick blanket still wrapped around her legs.

"_Damn!_" she hissed, casting the blanket aside, and tearing up the staircase to the top floor of Stoick's house.

Ignoring the smarting cold stinging her bare extremities, Astrid stumbled upon reaching the top step, dropping the lighted candle and sending melted wax gushing across the wooden beams.

Smothering the searing liquid with her bare hand, she snatched at the candle, thankful to Thor that the wick yet burned.

Grabbing the door handle to her immediate left, the young woman burst into Hiccup's bedroom, dreading what might there await her.

As soon as the wooden frame swung wide, the screams became deafeningly loud.

Astrid dashed into the small room, and beheld there a horrifying sight.

There on the bed, lay Hiccup, but not as she had last left him.

The boy was thrashing about under the blankets, his face twisted with agony, tears streaming out from under his closed eyes and gushing down his freckled face.

Toothless stood at his bedside, pressing his snout against his friend's face, the dragon's whimpering barely audible above Hiccup's screaming.

The Night Fury was evidently trying to calm his companion, but to no avail; the boy was unable to feel his friend's touch.

Racing over to stand beside Toothless, Astrid quickly placed her candle on the nearby workbench, and sat down on the bed beside Hiccup's tortured figure.

Grabbing Hiccup's thrashing hands with one of her own, the young woman held them tight, trying with all her might to get through to him, to let the young man know that he was in safe hands.

"Hiccup!

_Hiccup!_" Astrid was not at all surprised to find herself now crying; Hiccup's agony seemed almost as painful for her to watch as it was for him to feel.

But then again...

As Toothless frantically pressed his noise repeatedly against his rider's face, and Astrid squeezed the boy's hand, stroking and caressing his face with her smooth fingers, feeling his muscles tense and contract with the spasms of pain, Hiccup's fit finally began to subside a little, and the young man ceased his tossing and turning, and lay at rest, still shuddering with agony.

"_'Strid_?" Astrid's heart skipped a beat.

"_Hiccup_?" And as the pale boy's eyes slowly opened, the young woman at his side couldn't help but cry out with joy.

Smiling down at her him, she squeezed his hand a little tighter, and was delighted to feel a response.

"Astrid? I-I can't..." Hiccup's voice was barely audible, shaking with the pain he was feeling. "I c-can't feel m-my –"

"Shhhh! It's alright, Hiccup!" Astrid whispered, tears still sliding down her face. "Everything's fine...just rest..." And as the young man's fearful eyes slowly softened, his darting gaze fading to a glazed, vacant stare, there was a sudden crash from behind them, and Astrid turned with surprise to see the slumped forms of Stoick and the healer charging through the doorway to Hiccup's room.

It was the first time Hiccup had awoken since his battle with the Red Death on the Dragon's Island, and as the village leech forced her aside and knelt down at Hiccup's side, Astrid's weary mind fell backwards through the vortex of time to the events of the previous day...

* * *

><p>"Astrid, it's the only way –"<p>

"But at least let him keep –"

"Look, if it's a choice between losing his whole leg and losing his life, don' you think it's obvious what he'd want?" Astrid frowned.

Gobber still didn't understand.

None of them did.

"Don't you get it?" she sighed in frustration, her tone of exasperation attracting weird stares from the surrounding Vikings and dragons once again. "Losing his leg would mean exactly the same to him as losing his life! He wouldn't be able to fly anymore! Just...take it off...b-below the knee..." Her voice faltering at the thought of what they were about to do, Astrid turned to stare in desperation at Stoick.

The chief's eyes were fixed upon his son's limp form, his face contorted with anxious fear, with more lines than a map of the island's coastline.

The small group of Vikings was clumped together on the desolate beach of the Dragon's Island, terrified for the health of the young boy who had saved them all from certain death.

And although his condition was still stable, the boy was now running a huge risk of contracting an infection in his leg, and unless the wound was cleaned up, he would likely –

"Just..." The chief ran a hand through his hair distractedly; the decision he was about to make would affect his son's life in so many ways...

Should they take Hiccup's leg back above the knee to increase the likelihood of keeping the wound free of infections, or should they let him keep they knee and his ability to not only walk easier on a prosthesis but also control Toothless' flight at the increased risk of the injury becoming septic?

"Chief? Stoick?" The Vast man sighed...he could hardly take such a decision lightly, but a quick decision was just as important as the right decision.

On one hand, there was Gobber the blacksmith, with his personal experience at dealing with such injuries, proclaiming that the boy's life could only be preserved if his leg was taken back to above the knee, while on the other hand there was young Astrid, insisting that the good of preserving Hiccup's life was only worth as much as the quality of the life itself.

"Below the knee." The response shocked everyone present, but none more so than Astrid; she had been certain that the chief would choose on the side of caution, and found a kind of morbid delight in his decision.

"As the lass says," spoke Stoick solemnly, turning for just a moment to stare at the blond Viking, "there isn' really any point in living...if yeh can't feel alive." And for Hiccup, feeling alive was his relationship with dragons, being able to fly with them.

"Bu' Stoick –" Gobber started in surprise, but was cut off by a sharp look from his chief.

"That's an _order_, Gobber. Back no further than the knee..."

Astrid moved away, covering her mouth with her hand, huge tears streaming silently down the side of her face...

* * *

><p>Stoick's eyes drooped, but a moment later he glanced at Astrid's semi-naked form and immediately looked away.<p>

Astrid's face reddened instantly with embarrassment, and the young woman grabbed the nearest piece of material she could find to cover herself up...which turned out to be one of one of Hiccup's shirts.

Hastily donning the fur top over her bra, the young woman was momentarily lost in the friendly, soft smell that was Hiccup.

But at least this garment wasn't as powerfully odorous as some of the ones he had left back at the hollow bastion...

"H-He just woke up screaming..." Astrid spoke quietly to the chief behind the gentle sound of the healer's comforting voice which spoke gently to the tormented boy, patiently questioning him about his injury, where he was most hurting. "I'd comforted him and calmed him down just as you came in –"

But the chief waved off her feeble excuses, grabbing her by the arm, and practically dragged the young woman out of the room, only turning to face her once they were out of earshot by the top of the staircase.

"Astrid, I don't care how bad you feel about Hiccup's injury; I don' want you running around in _my_ house wearing nothing but..." He gestured half-heartedly towards the blond Viking before him, who was wearing nothing but her undergarments, including stockings, and Hiccup's favourite green shirt.

Astrid's shoulders slumped apologetically, and she averted her gaze from the chief's stern look.

But after only a moment, Stoick's own face creased into a slight smile, and he yawned widely, reaching out to give the young woman a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Never mind lass; I guess mah nerves are all shot...why don't yeh go back ter bed. You've already done far more than anyone expected to help Hiccup, and you deserve some rest. We're still only in the very early hours o' the mornin'." Returning the Vast man's smile with her own fleeting grin, Astrid copied his yawn perfectly, indicating that she was still completely exhausted.

After all, only two or three hours could have passed since their arrival back at Berk...

Which Astrid remembered all too well.

* * *

><p>A slight nudging broke through the confines of Astrid's wandering mind, her dreams interrupted by the strange, alien feel of a cool, scaly snout pressing against her face.<p>

"Go away..." she mumbled, wondering why the blue monster was back to terrorise her once again. "I don't want to go back to the mushroom island...

But as the persistent buffeting of a the impatient beast rocked her fantasy world, the young woman jerked awake, raising her head from the hard wood of her ship's pillow, blinking out from underneath the warm blankets she had been sleeping beneath...

The homely lights of a familiar island flickered in the distance, the great Guardian's Towers shining like beacons of hope through the black fog of despair which had so entrapped Astrid's tired mind.

Much nearer, the orange glow of numerous torches attached to the sides of the longboat upon which she had been resting cast countless rays through the misty airs around, shimmering brightly on the dark ocean's surface.

Nearer again was the crouching form of a Deadly Nadder, its vivid, yellow eyes meeting Astrid's bleak gaze with a kind of inner fire completely at odds with the pitch-black background.

And lying right at her side, shielded from the icy night air by not only a mound of thick fur blankets but also by the warmth of Astrid's own body, was Hiccup.

"_We are almost home, little one._" The blue dragon's gentle voice flooded into the young woman's mind like a warm breeze on a mid summer's day, and Astrid's eyes drooped once more...how was the Nadder communicating with her without direct contact?

But a moment later, the blond Viking started awake for the second time in only a minute, and she twisted around a little to see that the scaly reptile had bent down to press her head to Astrid's cheek without the latter having even noticed...she was _very _tired.

"_Home..._" she said to herself thoughtfully, wondering if Hiccup would still see Berk as his home after so many years and many more bad memories –but the Nadder's thoughts surged once more, now dowsing the young woman with a bucket of mental cold water.

"_I have already flown to village and back, and everything seems in order. The others have treated Tri _– _the Night Fury's injuries and placed him comfortably in his master's room to await –_"

"_Hang on,_" interrupted Astrid, the wheels of her bogged-down mind finally beginning to churn through the thick mud of exhaustion and bring her once more onto dry cognitive ground, "_I thought dragons didn't like being referred to as a human's 'property'?_"

As Astrid moved slowly out from underneath the blankets, already fully dressed, the blue dragon before her shifted uncomfortably, its gaze now averted even though the young woman's hand was now resting peacefully upon the beast's brow.

"_Yes and no,_" she answered, stepping backwards a little to allow Astrid to stand up straight.

"_Hiccup's dragon is very strange in this way; he will bide no calling, so I have heard, save that of his human-given name, or other affectionate nomen which the boy may have bestowed upon him. Believe it or not, but it once was –– and perhaps still is, especially now that the Red Death is gone, a true honour for any dragon to be awarded a new name by any human..._"

Pondering this fact, Astrid barely noticed that she was standing right by the Nadder's side, scratching her dragon absently-mindedly behind the ears, a simple action which the latter seemed to quite enjoy.

"_I, on the other hand,_" continued the blue dragon in an almost dreamy fashion, "_really have no objections to such relationships. I did once visit the ancient fortress in the west before even little Hiccup called it his home, and learned from the paintings there of the stories of the old race, and how the original residents formed strong bonds with the local dragons. I think that this is partly what inspired me to seek you out back on the mountain and try to bond with you..._" Now Astrid was really paying attention; this was the first really intimate conversation she had had with the Nadder, and was both quite curious and a little frightened as to what she might learn.

"_So..._" she mused quietly, staring down at the dragon's clawed feet, "_what did you do after I...let you escape from Berk?_" It was a somewhat awkward conversation topic, as the memory of the numerous times the two of them had fought each other in the training ring all those years ago was clearly fresh in both of their minds.

"_Well, believe it or not, I actually went back to the nest to help the rest of the hive feed the tyrant...if we had even once brought back less food than was required for his voracious hunger, it would have meant the death of countless innocent dragons to satisfy the monster's greed –_"

"_Hold on,_" cut in Astrid, realisation dawning upon her like a winter sunrise , "_roughly how many dragons live in the nest?_"

"_You mean lived,_" replied the Nadder thoughtfully. "_I doubt anyone will want to call that island home now._ _The memories associated with our enslavement there are bad for most, and utterly unbearable for a few._ _I think...everyone's going to expect to be living in and around your village from now on –_" But Astrid barely paid any attention to this seemingly startling statement, and was aware only that her question had not been answered.

"_How many?_" she repeated forcefully, and the blue dragon recoiled slightly at her somewhat harsh tone.

"_Around...one thousand in total, I would say. That's including absolutely everyone, and even some of –_"

"_And amongst one thousand dragons did not one of you think to stand up to the Red Death?_" Astrid was aware that she was now entering dangerous territory once again, but pressed on, determined to shift the blame of Hiccup's injury to someone...anyone else.

"_Did it not occur to even ONE of you that even half of your number could have destroyed the monster?_" The young woman's temper was now rising, and she wasn't entirely sure why; it was hardly the dragon's fault that their enslaver had injured the boy that she –

"_No,_" came the sudden reply, and Astrid opened her eyes momentarily to look at the Nadder's face.

The dragon's eyes were wide with surprise, almost as though she were trying to conceal something.

"_No, none of us did..._" her voice faded, and the blue reptile turned her gaze to stare directly into Astrid's eyes. "_And yet, as you say, even half of our number could have at least dragged the monster into the sea and drowned him..._"

And without another word, the Nadder started away, violently breaking the mental link between the two of them and taking flight from the longboat, vanishing almost instantly into the night sky.

Staggering a little from the shock of such a violent, the Viking woman knelt back down onto the wooden deck, thinking about what she had just done...and why she had done it –

"Right! Astrid! It's good to see you're awake!" Astrid started at the sound of Gobber's voice, and turned to see the blacksmith limping towards her, holding a mug in his hand.

"Are you thirsty?" The young woman shook her head.

"No," she replied with a slight shiver.

Gobber smiled gently at her.

"Well, we're almost home, as yeh can see, so..." His voice faded at the wilted look upon Astrid's face.

"Look," he spoke consolingly, putting the cup of water down to one side and placing his hand upon her shoulder, "It's really not your fault what happened to Hiccup. Yeh couldn't have known that he was going to be injured, and I doubt that yeh'd even planned to attack that terrible beast –"

"We hadn't," said in Astrid thickly, trying to hold back the emotions swelling within her once more, "but –"

"And that's no reason to go hatin' yourself for his injury. It happened, alright? And there's nothing we can do now but try and ease his pain." Astrid met the Belch's gaze with a grimace, nodding almost invisibly.

But Gobber was evidently still not convinced.

"Look, if it makes yeh feel any better, I'm sure Stoick won't mind lettin' yeh look after his son...for a little while, at least." Astrid's heart leaped at the thought of being allowed to care for the boy, and she let out a faint smile, now staring back down at Hiccup's sleeping form beside her upon the ship's deck.

"Aye," remarked the blacksmith solemnly, now rubbing his own eyes with what could possibly have been taken for a rare display of emotion, but was successfully passed off as the ocular manifestation of physical exhaustion.

"We'll need to get the boy up to his room. I'm assuming that the Nadder you were...well, _communicating_ with just now had just come back from Berk, right?"

"Right," replied Astrid, speaking up for what seemed like the first time in ages. "She said that Toothless – Hiccup's dragon, that is, has already been tended to and is resting in Hiccup's room...I'm sure he'll want to be by his _master_ while they both rest." Gobber nodded in silent acknowledgement, and as the two of them turned to stare up at the approaching lights of the town of Berk, Astrid yawned widely, still unable to completely mask how tired she was.

It must now have been drawing towards midnight, for the stars were almost further in their eternal march across the sky than the young woman had ever seen them before.

"Hehe," wheezed Gobber with a toothy grin, "perhaps the chief'll even let yeh stay in his house while we sort out...well..." He paused briefly, before continuing with uncertainty.

"How we're going to deal with all these dragons." And as the two of them continued to stare up at the looming late-night bonfires of the Viking village, Astrid took a sharp breath at the realisation of what she was now seeing.

Blanketing the streets and houses of the small island town were the countless, silhouettes of what were unmistakably _dragons_.

Once the two ships had docked, Gobber and Stoick, along with the rest of the Vikings disappeared off to the Mead Hall for some kind of conference with the rest of the more senior villagers, presumably to discuss what was to be done about the new...issue facing Berk and its inhabitants, but not before giving Astrid very explicit instructions on what to do.

And now the young woman found herself tasked with not only bringing Hiccup safely back up to his room in the chief's house (she pondered vaguely why Stoick wouldn't do it himself, but could hardly put any thought to the matter due to her exhausted state), but watching staying to watch over him that night while the others talked Viking policy.

Single-handedly carrying Hiccup up the steep slope to Stoick's house was hardly an easy task, given that the boy was no longer the scrawny fishbone that Astrid remembered him from their childhood and had put on quite a bit of muscle, but Astrid would have it no other way.

She neither knew nor cared where Fishlegs or the rest of the gang was, nor even the Nadder which had taken a liking to her; she was happy in the strain of Hiccup's weight in her arms, positively delighted by the thought of staying in the same _house_ as him...

Her mind fogging over once more from sheer exhaustion, both physical and mental, Astrid staggered up to the door of Stoick's house, kicking open the door with her foot, and swearing loudly at the ensuing pain of a set of bruised toes.

Stumbling inside, Hiccup's limp form still held tightly in her arms, the young woman was pleased to see that a small pile of coals was already crackling in the central fireplace of the chief's residence, illuminating the whole room with a homely glow.

Placing Hiccup's unconscious body down in a nearby chair, Astrid stopped to catch her breath, but the bandaged stump of the young man's amputated leg caught her eye.

Now slumping down into one of the other chairs by the fire, the blond Viking was almost completely overwhelmed by a nauseating feeling of pure fatigue; time must have dragged on into the very early hours of the morning, for Astrid was now so exhausted that she barely had the strength to get back up and continue her arduous trek up to Hiccup's room.

And the pangs of ever-present guilt stabbing at her like spears of pure emotional pain were hardly helping...

But the motivation to keep going came from within; straight from the heart.

Wobbling slightly as she stood back up, Astrid gave praise to Thor that her warrior's stamina still held out against the armies of dark, depressing thoughts which now laid siege to her last bastions of inner strength and perseverance.

Taking Hiccup's limp form once more in her arms, she continued her trudge over to the staircase leading to the upper levels, and hauled herself and the boy up to the first floor of the chieftain's house, biting back the sickening exhaustion which threatened to overwhelm her at any moment.

Opening the door to Hiccup's room was seemed to be the hardest part of the entire journey, for not only was she loath to place him down on any hard surface, but the door appeared to be locked...from the inside.

Cursing at this apparent lack of foresight from not only herself but had whoever had prepared the house from the arrival, Astrid kicked at the door in anger, her patience finally bleeding away and leaving nothing but a pulsing rage against herself, the other Vikings, and even the dragons...everyone except for –

A loud crunching noise from the behind the other side of the door told the young woman that she had forgotten one very important fact; Toothless had already been made comfortable in Hiccup's room, and was most likely going to be staying there with his rider and master.

"Hey," called out Astrid breathlessly to other side of the door, "Toothless, could you perhaps–" But the end of her sentence was not even required, for not another word passed her lips before the wooden frame before here swung wide, to reveal the eager, if heavily bandaged and blanketed form of a Night Fury, desperate for knowledge of his companion's welfare.

"Toothless!" exclaimed Astrid, stumbling through the doorway and into Hiccup's room, noting casually how the black dragon had cleverly managed to grab the doorhandle with his claws so as not to completely destroy the entrance to Hiccup's room.

"Boy am I glad to see you!" The Night Fury's eyes were wide and fearful, glistening with tears of anxiety, and he raised his face to stare at his rider's lifeless form, whimpering a little.

"It's alright, Toothless," hushed Astrid, kicking to door quietly closed behind her. "Hiccup's going to be alright –" But a frantic jerking from the dragon's head towards the remnants of the boy's left leg told Astrid that he wasn't satisfied with this answer.

"W-Well," she spoke, her own voice cracking up with emotion. "M-Mostly..." And as she laid Hiccup gentle down upon his bed, making perfectly sure he would be comfortable, the tears of sorrow came flooding back into her eyes, and streamed down the young woman's cheeks like the great autumn rains.

Toothless nudged her leg gently with his snout, still whining quietly, sharing her grief, and Astrid casually reached down to scratch the Night Fury's neck, wiping countless tears from her eyes with her free hand.

Turning to look down at the black dragon crouched by the bedside, the young woman's eyes met with those of dragon, and in that moment the two of them shared a common feeling; a sad acceptance that Hiccup, whether he survived this ordeal or not, would never again be the boy he once was...

Failing dismally in her efforts to suppress another huge yawn, Astrid now found herself being shunted towards the doorway by a seemingly kind and caring Toothless.

"But..." she argued feebly, "can't I stay..." But the solemn look in the Night Fury's eyes told her that he could and would watch over Hiccup as he slept. "I understand..." the young woman said with a smile, and closed the door to the injured man's room, leaving boy and dragon alone together.

Walking dreamily back down the staircase, Astrid stared with sleep laden eyes into the glowing coals of the central fire, and sighed as a huge wave of exhaustion washed over her once again...

* * *

><p>"Look, lass, do I have ter make <em>this <em>an order too? Go back ter bed! Yeh really do deserve a morsel o' sleep, so take it!" Swaying a little from side to side with sickening fatigue, Astrid nodded, and turned to walk back down the staircase to the ground floor of the chief's house...but something caught her eye; a strange, hard gleam in the corner of Stoick's eye.

"Erm, Stoick," she spoke quietly, turning back one last time to face her chief, "can I ask one more question?"

"You just did!" he replied with a grin, and for a fleeting moment, Astrid thought she observed a glimpse of Hiccup appearing in his own father..."But go on – what is it?"

"How did the talks go?" The chief's face drooped a little at the sound of the dreaded question.

"I'll let you know in the morning, when they're all finished. But for now...well, I guess it depends upon whose side you're on."

Pondering this answer, Astrid now found herself inexplicably walking back to her chair beside the dying coals of the central fire without any memory of how she had got there; the longer she stayed awake, the more obvious it became that she really just needed to rest.

"_...depends which side you're on,_" she repeated glumly to herself.

Were the Vikings taking sides as to whether or not to accept the dragons?

Clambering into the chair with the last ounces of her physical strength, Astrid covered herself in as many blankets as possible, blew out her faithful candle, and snuggled down amongst the fur covers, and closed her eyes.

Somewhere outside a dragon was flying, the flap of their wings sounding upon the wooden house like the gentle blowing of a morning breeze.

Contemplating all that had come to pass, Astrid's conscious mind was finally wrested from her by the powerful grip of sleep's necessity, and the young woman slept dreamlessly in that hard, wooden chair by the dim light of the fading fire in Hiccup's house...

* * *

><p>Dawn arrived with a most peculiar sound.<p>

Astrid jerked awake in complete shock once again, for the second time that day even.

What _was _that bizarre _crowing _noise which sounded so incessantly, echoing around the misty morning mountains and falling upon the foggy forests with such a piercing edge as to tear out a man's ears, were he too close to its source?

It had to be a dragon...nothing else alive could make such a noise, and never before had so many dragons been present in the village of Berk upon the passage of night into day without there being a terrific stoush between the beasts and the village's residents...

Grumbling loudly, Astrid rolled over in an attempt to cover her ears with her pillow...and promptly fell out of the chair she had been sleeping in.

Chair...she had been sleeping in?

And then the events of the previous night came flooding back into the young woman's mind with such force that she was momentarily stunned.

But the terror that now coursed through her veins gave her strength enough to throw off the blankets she was wrapped in and leap to her feet violently for the second time that morning.

Racing up the stairs to the top floor of the chief's house, Astrid noted vaguely that she had slept fully clothed...well, in Hiccup's shirt anyhow...

Hiccup!

_Hiccup!_

The voice that now screamed inside her head was so incredibly deafening that the blond Viking winced with the pain of pure fear which clutched and tore at her mind like cold talons of utter terror.

Reaching the first floor, Astrid turned to her immediate left and grabbed the handle of the door to Hiccup's room, turning it forcefully.

As the wooden frame swung wide, she ran into the room, heart pounding with anticipation – but the scene with which she was met had, in a single second, sapped away every last ounce of Astrid's urgency, and forced from her mind all anxious thoughts of terror for Hiccup's safety.

The bright light of an early summer's morning was flooding in through the open window, and a moist, cool breeze flowed down across Hiccup's bed and workbench to rustle the few paintings on the walls and flutter some clothes which hung down the side of the sole wooden chair.

In one corner of the small room lay Toothless, the Night Fury's normally sizeable form curled up into a rather compact black ball against the wooden wall, his one remaining tail-fin obscuring his face.

A musty smell of strong alcohol and wet grass hung in the dusty air, along with something else...a strangely familiar smell which Astrid knew all too well but couldn't seem to recognise...but then it occurred to her.

It was the smell of dragons.

Standing stock still for a moment, taking in several deep, relieving gulps of air, the young woman stared at the black dragon in the corner.

Toothless was fast asleep, his sides shifting almost imperceptibly with his silent breathing, but it was his injuries that seemed to attract Astrid's attention most of all...they were all but gone.

"Amazing..." she whispered, ogling at the now fading scars of what had appeared to be potentially fatal cuts to the dragon's sides.

With just a little proper rest, it seemed, a dragon could heal itself of even the deepest wounds.

But the Viking's eyes were drawn once again to the bed by the window, and Astrid walked slowly over to the heap of blankets, kneeling down at the bedside and looking the boy who slept there.

Hiccup's face was knotted with tension, his muscles twitching occasionally, the pain of his injury cutting through even to his sleeping mind.

But at least he was sleeping soundly.

The young woman reached down to shift the covers on the bed, and gently touched the boy's cheek.

It was cold and clammy, covered in sick sweat...was he running a fever?

His forehead felt alright...not too hot.

But then something else caught her attention; a bizarre scar on Hiccup's shoulder which was unmistakably the fading blister of a human bite.

Curiosity stole over her like a shadow of deepest doubt, and for the first time ever, Astrid found herself questioning, if only for the most miniscule of moments, Hiccup's spotless and sparkling nature.

"A bite...?" Extending her hand cautiously towards the faint blemish, the young woman suddenly realised that she was stepping too far into Hiccup's life yet again, invading his privacy once more.

She retracted her hand, staring down into the boy's sleeping face.

He wasn't quite at Hel's door, but had certainly moved up to occupy Hel's patio...chuckling inwardly, Astrid tried in vain suppress this most untimely of emotions; the joy of laughter was something that she should only share with Hiccup, once he awoke...

If he awoke.

Turning away to one side with grief churning in her heart, the young woman's eyes strayed onto the boy's belongings which lay upon his desk, untouched for seven years...Stoick had not once found the courage to clean out his son's empty room, and so the small wooden chamber on the first floor of the chieftain's residence had remained unchanged and unused for the best part of a decade, collecting dust, awaiting its owner's return.

Sitting down cautiously at the workbench, Astrid shuddered as a gale of memories blasted through her mind and filled her thoughts, as clear as though they were the events of yesterday.

Phrases and pictures portraying the essence of a young boy's tortured soul, a pale-freckled face alive with anger, filled with rage, hurling at her the torment incarnate of so many years of abuse...sniffing a few times, Astrid wondered why these things still had such an effect on her, after all these years.

She was a Viking!

Weak emotions such as sorrow, pity and remorse were supposed to be well below her level...

But she could not abide by the laws of tradition anymore, and without so much as a sound, the young woman began to cry again.

Great, silent sobs filled with heart wrenching guilt and regret.

Astrid found herself crying so often these days...as a child she had been proud to be the member of the gang who would never break down under duress or shed a tear from pain.

She had found comfort in having a cold and closed heart, having been told that it would protect her from the horrors of the real world.

Oh, it had protected her alright – but from all the wrong things.

Understanding others' feelings was something she had only just begun to learn in recent years, and the ability to empathise was an emotional skill she could have done with seven years ago.

The blond Viking reached down to shift through Hiccup's old belongings which lay upon his workbench, unused for so long that they were caked in a thick layer of grit.

The desk sat in a corner of Hiccup's room which was untouched by draughts from the open window, and as such Astrid found herself coughing a little from the whirling storms of dust which arose after only a single blast of air from her mouth.

Sifting through the various items, the young woman found several that were quite familiar to her...a pair of bound, leather books, some loose sheets of scribble paper, some used, some not, a mug half filled with water, and a handful of charcoal sticks for drawing and writing –

Astrid jumped with fright as the same bizarre crowing noise from a few minutes earlier sounded once again, the alien cry resonating through the village, bouncing down the between the buildings and echoing around the alleyways.

And if it kept up, there would be more than just a _few_ tired and angry Vikings rising from their beds to deal with the source...

Hiccup would have to wait.

Climbing back down the staircase and into the central room of the chief's residence, Astrid quickly donned her thick, woollen vest and opened the door, walking outside and into the white light of a misty morning in Berk.

The smell of wet grass hung thick in the air, and the faint whiff of dragons was ever present on the edge of the nose.

It was definitely something she was going to have to get used to...

Barely noticing the chill of the salty, ocean air the young woman peered around into the gloom for the source of the noise.

But she didn't have to look far, for perched out on the top of the building on the far end of the town square just at the bottom of the hill was a Deadly Nadder, wide awake and peering out to sea, shaking her scales and flinging her spiny tail around in a carefree fashion.

Astrid smiled; how she could tell, she did not know, but the dragon was unmistakably _her _Nadder.

Practically sprinting over to the blue dragon, the young woman found that, all of a sudden, her heart had filled with joy.

She called out loudly, although hopefully not so loud as to wake the hordes of sleeping Vikings...and dragons.

Everywhere she looked, Astrid now saw that countless dragons were sleeping, perhaps curled up against the side of a house, or even sheltering under eaves of a lone tree here and there.

"Hey there! Is that you making all that racket–?"

But the Nadder had obviously not been expecting anyone to on her from behind, and squawked with fright, jumping around on the top of the house to look down into the town square where the young woman now stood.

But the blue dragon lost her footing upon the wet hay of thatched roof, and tumbled from the top of the house, wings and limbs flailing helplessly.

Astrid's heart leapt with shock and fear as the scaly beast crashed to the ground crumpling for a moment into a mess of blue scales and yellow spines.

But she needn't have worried, for only a moment later, the Nadder picked herself shamefully up off the ground, squawking indignantly and giving Astrid a reproachful look.

Astrid laughed.

"You are one spineless creature if you get _that _scared by the mere sight of me –"

Stopping right there, the blond Viking realised that she had just struck upon a truly crazy thought.

The Nadder stopped its annoyed pouting and stared curiously her the human, wondering why she was suddenly so thoughtful.

"Now there's an idea..." Astrid spoke quietly, looking at the blue dragon before her with wide, cheeky eyes.

"Spineless."

The Nadder cocked its head to one side with confusion, and plodded up to where Astrid stood, clucking quietly.

Astrid smiled, and held out an open palm to the spined beast, who nuzzled up against the soft skin almost like a baby to its mother's breast.

"_Spineless?_" she asked, evidently curious as to why the little human was suddenly saying this word as though it were a long lost friend or family member.

"_Spineless,_" Astrid repeated simply, looking straight into the Nadder's golden eyes.

And then it clicked.

The Nadder broke the brief connection so violently that it sent the young woman's head into a spin.

Prancing around the town square like an energetic baby who had just learned to walk, Spineless hooted and hollered at the joy that she had just been given a human name.

And then, without another sound, she took off into the cold morning air, wings beating hard and fast, heading nowhere in particular, it seemed.

"Probably finding some other dragons to brag to..." Astrid muttered quietly to herself, grinning.

Spineless...it was perfect.

And at least she wasn't crowing to the morning mists anymore; the blond Viking could finally get the sleep she needed.

And a short, brisk walk around the town told her that that was, in fact, _exactly_ what she needed.

Most of the Vikings and dragons were all still asleep; the social tremors of yesterday's events obviously required a little more rest and reflection for the subconscious to handle safely.

Finally reaching the door to the chief's house, Astrid pushed the wooden frame wide with a shivering hand and darted inside, letting the door close with a snap behind her...and stopped right where she was in complete surprise.

For standing at the bottom of the staircase, his hands clasped together nervously, was none other than the chief himself.

And for once, the Vast man looked positively terrified.

"Astrid," he croaked, and plodded over to where the young woman now stood wrapping herself up with one of the blankets she had slept under.

"Stoick," she replied quietly, acknowledging his presence with respect...and a little confusion. "What are you doing? Is everything alright?"

The chief chuckled nervously, but then his false smiled fell away, and he stared down at her with agony in his eyes.

"No...not really," he spoke sadly, and Astrid could guess what was ailing him.

Stoick sat down with a rather loud thump upon the table by the central fire, which now consisted of nothing more than a couple of fading, red coals.

The young woman slowly extended a hand towards the disheartened man, but then withdrew it, unsure of how to act, scared that she might offend the Vast man in some way.

"Look," she said consolingly, "you can't...you can't let guilt and regret rule over your life. Hiccup wouldn't want to see you this way...after all, you're still his father, whether he accepts it or not, and that...that's got to mean _something_, r-right?" Astrid didn't really know what she was saying, but it seemed to make sense to both of them.

Stoick sighed in acquiescence.

"I...I guess you're righ'," he sniffed, pulling a gigantic handkerchief out of his belt and dabbing softly at his eyes with it.

"I'm not sure he'll ever give us his forgiveness, an' quite frankly, I don't think we have to right to ask for it, but..." Astrid felt her gaze harden at this statement; _she _already had Hiccup's forgiveness, which was more than anyone _else _could say – But the chief's eyes narrowed a little at the look on her face.

"Wha' is it?" he asked curiously, but the young woman shook her head.

"Nothing," she lied, but Stoick was hardly convinced.

"Astrid, what _really_ happened while you were gone? Where did you find Hiccup? How did –"

"Stoick, is this really the time for that? Your own _son_ is lying on what might be his deathbed, and you're _interrogating_ ME?" The last word came out with a little more force than Astrid had expected, but it seemed to do the trick.

The chief's shoulders slumped, and he averted his gaze, staring with bloodshot eyes down at his feet, fidgeting awkwardly with his hands.

"Sorry," he said shortly, and Astrid smiled gently.

"It's alright," she hushed, placing a soft hand upon Stoick's own. "Maybe you should get some rest," she suggested quietly. "You look as though you've been up most of the night." The chief let out a brief laugh, which turned almost immediately into a hacking cough.

"Y-Yeah," he chuckled, eyes watering. "I couldn' sleep...that, 'n' most of the villagers who weren' on the island needed..._convincing _that the dragons were not only no longer a threat, but also here to stay." The words rang in Astrid's ear, resounding and growing louder and more profound with each echo.

"..._here to stay._"

She grinned cheekily. "Well," the young woman spoke slyly, "we _are _Vikings; it's an occupational hazard."

And the two of them broke down into fits of laughter.

It was the first of many _many_ times that Astrid would find herself sharing a joke with the village chief...and she loved it.

After Stoick had left for the Mead Hall, which was presumably where the discussions about the dragons were taking place, Astrid's exhaustion decided to make an entrance once again, pulling and tugging at the young woman, urging her to lie still and sleep.

Yawning hugely, the blond Viking gathered her blankets and mooched drowsily upstairs and into Hiccup's room.

She didn't care what _anyone _said anymore...she was going to sleep at the boy's side, would they or no.

Glancing groggily at the fearsome form of the Night Fury, still curled up and fast asleep in the far corner, Astrid threw her covers down onto the sheepskin rug on the floor and quite literally collapsed onto them, pulling the furs over herself.

One last glance up at the bed by the window told her that Hiccup was still resting peacefully and painlessly...well, as painlessly as one could with a charred, torn, and partially amputated leg.

And without any warning Astrid was asleep again, her mind at rest, her consciousness entering dreamless oblivion.

* * *

><p>And after what seemed like merely a few seconds, the young woman was awake again, shifting beneath the blankets and stirring fitfully.<p>

The scar on her head was aching a little, not so much as to require attention, but it was there nevertheless, throbbing in the back of her mind.

It seemed like years ago that she had received that injury from the Icebolt dragon in that last raid on Berk, but in reality little more than a week had passed.

So much had happened in that time...

Stoick and her parents had promised her to Snotlout as the future chief's wife, several days had been spent aboard a merchant ship travelling westward (although nothing of interest had really occurred on that leg of the journey), an interesting night with Camicazi in the Bog Burglars' village had revealed just how quickly little girls could age in maturity, Astrid had convinced Hiccup to come back with her to Berk, only to have him fall in battle to the flames of the Red Death, Vikings and dragons had struck upon a peaceful, if tenuous relationship, and the young woman herself had befriended and even _named _a dragon of her own...a Deadly Nadder.

Spineless.

Rolling onto her right side, Astrid looked over at the Hiccup's bed by the window, and received a slight shock.

Kneeling there by the bedside, her back turned towards Astrid's prone form, was Runa, the village healer.

The leech's hands were darting from side to side over what appeared to be Hiccup's exposed stump, and for the briefest of moments, anger coursed through Astrid's veins like the inferno of an enraged Night Fury.

But then it occurred to her that Runa could only be doing good; she was a healer, after all.

"Mpf..." she mumbled, trying to speak, but only managing a twisted mixture of curdled words.

And her attempt at rising from the floor was even more difficult, proving to the young woman once and for all how very much rest she needed.

"Lie still," spoke Runa quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the mound of furs beneath which Astrid lay, "you're next." The words carried a hint of amusement, but the blond Viking was hardly in the mood for jokes.

"Wha' for...?" she managed to blurt out, blinking through sleep filled eyes at the leech's form, which now swam in her gaze; this was more than just ordinary exhaustion.

"You're sleeping a lot more than is right, e'en for someone who's been through as much without proper rest," replied Runa, her voice suddenly deadly serious. "And I need to take a look at that head-wound of yours."

From the deep shades of orange now rippling like waves of pure light across the cliffs through Hiccup's window, Astrid could tell that dusk had arrived, marking the end of a very hazy and sleep-filled day.

"You didn't get it checked out earlier, did you?" The healer's words barely registered on the very edge of the young woman's befuddled mind, and it was all Astrid could do to simply shake her head in response...

* * *

><p>And after the passage of what seemed like merely seconds, Astrid was awake again...but this time the only light present was from the orange glow of a tall candle, which sat upon Hiccup's workbench like a lonely beacon of hope amongst the gathering darkness of nightfall.<p>

The sky outside was a deepest grey, the usual deep blue of evening obscured by a blanket of dense, stormy clouds.

And now she was fully awake.

Stretching out upon the warm sheepskin mat upon the floor, the young woman hauled herself slowly up to sit straight-backed against the wall opposite the window, looking over to where Hiccup lay, still sleeping peacefully.

Rubbing annoyingly large quantities of sleep out of her eyes, Astrid smiled to herself, and clambered to her feet.

But as the thick furs fell away, the blond Viking cried out with pain and fell forward onto all fours, her forehead splitting open in agony as though pierced by the scorching spears of pain incarnate.

Gritting her teeth, the young woman shook her head angrily, the dim shadows cast by the dying candle swimming before her eyes.

But, mere moments later, the sharp pains suddenly subsided, leaving only a dull, pulsing ache, which throbbed in rhythm with the beating of her heart like a torturous drumbeat.

Regaining control of her shaking limbs was a slow and arduous task, but after about a minute Astrid managed to straighten up and walk over to the door, wincing occasionally at the gradually dissipating ache.

But just before she got there, the wooden frame swung wide to reveal a scaly black snout, accompanied pair of wide, emerald eyes, which peered up at her with curiosity.

Spinning on her heels, the young woman momentarily and stupidly wondered how a dragon could make division of themself.

But then she noticed that the Night Fury was no longer occupying his corner of the small bedroom, and the dazed Viking turned back to face the black beast in the doorway with a smile.

"Hey Toothless," she mumbled, rubbing her throbbing forehead with one hand and reaching out to touch the Night Fury's scaly snout with the other.

The dragon grunted, tilting his head to one side and blinked several times, nudging her hand vigorously with his head; his curious and slightly worried persistence was obviously his querying her state of health...or was it?

"I'm...fine," Astrid lied with a smile, but Toothless was hardly convinced. "Look," she said with a slightly chiding voice, her pain getting the better of her tongue, "don't you have somewhere else to be?" But the dragon promptly opened his mouth, retracted his teeth, and clamped a gentle but firm jaw around her forearm, tugging at her incessantly.

There was almost an element of desperation in his eyes now.

"H-Hey," Astrid stuttered, "I haven't seen you like this before; what's with the long face...?" Her voice fell away at the thought of what she had just said.

Toothless gave her a look which said plainly "_that really wasn't funny, you know,_" but the young woman's own face split into a wide grin, and she coughed into her free sleeve, struggling to control her growing mirth.

"G-Get it?" she choked, eyes brimming with tears of laughter. "You're a dragon! You _all _have long faces!" But the Night Fury's face twisted into an enraged snarl, and for the briefest of moments, Astrid felt the very tips of his razor-sharp teeth press into her arm; something was seriously awry.

Suppressing her sudden, ingrained urge to grab the nearest hard object and smash it over the black beast's head (she was not yet completely accustomed to the idea of coexisting with the reptilian population, having been conditioned to hate them with a passion for so long), Astrid finally gave in to the Night Fury's frantic tugging, and let herself be pulled through the door, down the staircase and past the central fire of Stoick's house towards the front door.

"Wait, wait just a moment," the young woman spoke suddenly, pulling at Toothless' grasp, and the agitated dragon released her arm.

Astrid dashed over to the chair in which she had been sleeping earlier that day and tossed Hiccup's shirt to one side, hastily donning her own skirt, shirt and jumper which had been left there from the previous night; even with all of the radical changes which had occurred so far this past week, one of Astrid's few characteristics which had remained intact was her dignity, and it would hardly do to have her seen wandering around the evening Berk wearing almost nothing but Hiccup's clothes.

As Astrid and Toothless made their way through the village, the former was slightly surprised to see that almost no-one was about, save for a few of the younger children and their aged grandparents.

Surely the entire population wasn't still resting...was it?

And the dragons which had, in the earlier hours of the day, covered almost the entire village like a scaly, living blanket of horns, spines and wings where now nowhere to be seen –

But the Night Fury seemed particularly eager to lead her ever onward to their destination, leaving her little time to worry.

Soon enough it became obvious that the Mead Hall was where they were heading, and perhaps where the answers to her questions lay as well, for as the two of them made their way through the gathering darkness and up the stone steps to the great wooden doors of the ancient stone cavern, a great hubbub of angry shouting began to reach Astrid's ears.

"What now?" she sighed angrily; it seemed as though the villagers still hadn't sorted out the issue.

She could even make out the familiar boom of Stoick's thunderclap of a voice pounding against the walls, but even the chief's own roaring was occasionally lost amongst the ever growing crescendo of cacophonic caterwauling.

Wondering how it was possible that no-one's eardrums had yet burst, Astrid moved up to the great doors and placed touched the iron handle, feeling the tremendous vibrations of the muffled argument within reverberating through the wooden planks and metal panels.

She looked back at Toothless.

"...and you want _me_ to go in there and settle it?" The dragon nodded.

"How? And why? Surely Stoick's got it under control...?" But she already knew that if the chieftain had had the power to placate the angry mob, he would have done so by now.

The young woman sighed.

"Fine, fine..." she grumbled in acquiescence, "I'll do my best. But you're coming too!" With a cold look of determination hardening upon her face, Astrid pushed the door wide open –

– And was almost blasted straight onto her back by the solid wall of noise that struck her head on and sent her reeling back into Toothless' crouched form.

But the Night Fury gave her a quick, pleading glance, and shoved her back towards the door.

Walking doggedly forwards as though she were trying to fight her way through a strong wind, the young woman stepped through the doorway, holding the wooden frame open for just long enough to let the black dragon sneak in behind her, before letting the door snap shut behind them, although the wooden crunch was lost amidst the din of arguing Vikings.

And arguing they were.

Everywhere Astrid looked, crowds of angry men and women were bunched together in furious arguments, although many of the debates had already dissolved into slanging matches, the purpose of their discussions lost amidst the storm of enraged insults.

Noting wearily that her head was still throbbing painfully, Astrid marched towards the centre of the room, conviction boiling up within her and coursing through her veins like fire, Toothless following shyly behind her; the black dragon was hardly afraid, but obviously considered himself to be exempt from sorting out this rabble, as though it wasn't his business.

"_Well,_" Astrid though to herself savagely, "_at least HE has a sense of social decency_."

Clambering up onto the circular table at the very centre of the hall, Astrid stared at the Vikings around her.

Most of the tables had been rather forcibly shunted to the side to make room for the "discussions", and the shattered remains of several chairs which had been broken as the debate had heated up now littered the stone floor, countless shards of wood lying forgotten underfoot.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Astrid cleared her throat; never before in living memory had the Vikings of Berk behaved like such a pack of wild animals, and interrupting them now would take one hell of a shout...which the young woman now felt was simply not in her.

As proud as she was of being a model Viking shield-maiden, Astrid had been tremendously frustrated by the revelation that, upon her eighteenth year in Berk, she had been the only woman in Berk unable to raise an avalanche of snow up on the slopes of the nearby snow-capped mountains; shouting was just not her thing.

Filling her lungs with air, Astrid bellowed out to the room in general, the air from her shout tearing at her throat and causing the young woman to cough and splutter.

But her voice was lost amongst the angry choruses of the displeased Viking choir, the music of their furious yelling too loud for any one human to interrupt.

Astrid's temper was now right on the verge of breaking, and it was all she could do to hold it in check for even a few seconds longer.

She turned in desperation to the Night Fury who stood on the floor below her, but Toothless was already way ahead of her, and with something of a mocking grin smeared across his scaly face, the black dragon took a deep breath, and Astrid clapped her hands to her ears.

The dragon's roar was perhaps the loudest noise ever heard in the Mead Hall, barring only the time Stoick had shouted himself hoarse at a thieving Hiccup who had been game enough to take more than his fair share of bread from the baker's house.

And it was easily enough to interrupt the howling mob of angry Vikings.

The silence that fell, however, was almost as deafening as the ruckus that had preceded it, and all eyes turned to the middle of the hall, finding an enraged young woman standing on the central table and a mean-looking Night Fury at her side.

Astrid may have almost lost her ears to the tremendous sound blast, but at least she had kept her wits about her, and seized the opportunity immediately.

"Look at you all!" she spoke to the room at large, her voice echoing off the high stone ceiling. "Arguing like children! Is this really how you want Hiccup to see his _own tribe _when he wakes up again? Like a bunch of mindless animals?"

Total silence.

"And as for those of you who still think we can't live with the dragons, I'd recommend you all think back to the fight on the island; that huge dragon, the Red Death was the only thing responsible for the attacks on our village. Hiccup tried to warn us, remember? "_If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves. There's something else on their island_..." He was just trying to help us, to warn us...and look what we did to him for it." Obviously she wasn't only one now feeling guilty.

"I think the _very least _we can do is show him we still have hearts..." Astrid felt she'd said enough, for the looks she was now receiving showed her quite plainly that the desired effect had been achieved; every Viking present, Stoick included, was now starting to give serious consideration to how they wanted Hiccup to see them when he awoke...he was, after all, the new hero of the day.

Stepping carefully down off the table, the young woman noticed that Toothless was nowhere to be seen, and the door to the hall was ajar.

The Night Fury had clearly headed back to the chief's house to check up on Hiccup.

He could barely leave the boy alone, so strong was their bond...

Staring around impassively at the other Vikings, Astrid's rage began to ebb, and she felt relieved that conversations were now beginning once again, only this time in much more civil a fashion.

She had unconsciously clenched her fists into little balls of anger, and now had to forcefully relax them.

Walking back to the great, wooden doors, Astrid could feel the eyes of many Vikings still resting on her, and made her exit as quickly as possible.

She had done her job, and now wanted to simply get out...and get back to Hiccup.

* * *

><p>Closing the door to Hiccup's room behind her, Astrid stared over at the bed by the window.<p>

Toothless crouched by the bedside, his scaly snout pressed gently against his rider's face.

Walking over to stand beside the black dragon, the young woman sat down on the edge of the bed and turned to stare down into the boy's peaceful face.

As she watched, a muscle twitched across his brow, indicating that the pain was ever yet present and strong...but nowhere near as strong as before.

Hiccup was a tough boy; he could handle it.

The young man's brown hair was all messed up and smeared across his face, partially obscuring his eyes, and Astrid reached down to brush it aside.

She hadn't _really _had a chance to see his face clear of obstruction _and_ in decent light.

Astrid studied the details of his face by the bright light of the workbench candle.

Seven years had brought with them some real changes, but nothing which detracted from the boy's nature; he was still clearly Hiccup.

The smooth, clean-shaven face, the freckles, the soft brown hair...and yet there was an element of...something else now hidden away behind those innocent, boyish features.

The Night Fury nudged at her knee, his emerald eyes wide and curious, and Astrid blinked several times; she had been staring again.

Well, whatever had happened to Hiccup to bring about this change, it had certainly done wonders for his physique and complexion.

He was now _tremendously _attractive, with corded bands of muscle running down his arms and strapped around his neck, and handsome to boot.

But he was still Hiccup, the young man who had just lost his leg trying to protect his people from terrible fate, in spite of the persecution he had suffered at their hands all those years ago.

A little respect was due, at the very least.

Astrid hopped down off the bed and plodded over to the pile of blankets by the opposite wall of the bedroom, seating herself with her back against the wall, looking over at the boy and his dragon.

Toothless had now laid himself down at the bedside and closed his eyes; the dragon evidently considered it his responsibility...no, his _right _to watch over the boy until he awoke...whenever that might be, and Astrid couldn't blame him.

With the sole exception of herself, Toothless had been acting very shy and protective around the Vikings of Berk since the return, and no wonder; he still partly saw them as enemies, most likely because of what they had done to Hiccup all those years ago.

Astrid had redeemed herself somewhat in the dragon's eyes by coming to find Hiccup, and her quest for reconciliation had almost gotten her killed...

The young woman shuddered once more at the thought of Hiccup's enraged eyes staring at her with cold bitter contempt, his sharp blade pressed tightly against her neck, his voice full of angry sarcasm and malice...echoes of how he had been treated as a child.

Of how they had treated him.

Of how she had treated.

How she and her jealousy had been solely responsible for his exile...Astrid shook herself once again, and lay down upon the floor, covering herself with the thick furs, telling herself again and again that Hiccup had forgiven her, and perhaps even the whole village as well...

A hazy and harrowing day had finally drawn to an end, and for the first time in many years, Astrid found herself willing the merciful power of rest to wash over her and relieve from her the painful duties of conscious thought.

But she did not have to wait long at all, for soon enough sleep's grasp stole stealthily over the young woman, and Astrid didn't even notice as fell asleep once more.

* * *

><p><em>For those of you wondering, yes I have permission to use the name "Spineless" - it's not mine originally, and full credit goes to the author of Hero of the Day - another HtTYD fan fiction.<em>

_It's a fantastic story, and I glean much of my inspiration - it's well worth checking out!_

_Aside from this, I would just like to apologise once again for how much things are dragging at the moment._

_I am currently writing about 7 to 8 chapters ahead of here, and am really trying to bring in some fast-paced action - but also bear in mind that these rather thoughtful chapters are entirely necessary for me to set up the atmosphere for the sequels._

_The next chapter will be following tomorrow morning, so give it about 10 hours - and the epilogue will be coming shortly after. I'd do it now, but sleep is something I've really been wishing for in large quantities, and can now get!_

_I guess we'll just wait and see what happens then!_

_Cheers,_

_Lumpyness._


	10. Chapter Ten

_...and here's Chapter Ten, just as promised! I won't bother doing a recap - the last chapter only went up about 12 hours ago.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Ten: The Road to Recovery<em>

Hiccup took in a deep breath, his eyes stinging salty sores in the soft morning light, his exposed face chilled by the steady flow of cool, fresh air through the open window.

The young man coughed a little and reached up to scratch his nose as his senses returned to him, one by one.

The familiar taste of dead fish was dull yet still present in his dry mouth, and the whole room seemed to smell of a tragic combination of wet grass, salty air and human sweat...although not his just his.

Thick fur blankets covered his body with a layer of warmth and comfort, and the bed upon which Hiccup rested was ever so soft...and terrifyingly familiar, like something out of a half-forgotten dream...or nightmare.

Hiccup hauled himself up to sit straight-backed against the hard wooden wall at the head of the bed, wondering dully why doing had been quite so much trouble; he had almost overbalanced and fallen onto the windowsill to his immediate left.

Peering bleakly around the small space, the young man recognised a great many things about the little wooden room...several charcoal paintings hanging from the walls, a small workbench littered with dusty pieces of parchment, an iron cup, presumably still half-filled with water...this was _his _bedroom in the chieftain's house, Berk, the Northern Seas, Midgard.

However, there were a couple of oddities also present...several leather bags which looked like they belonged to him, a pile of thick blankets on the floor which appeared to have recently been used as a temporary bed, and a large, scaly black dragon curled up in one corner, a Night Fury, no less...Toothless.

In spite of his dismal recognition of the little bedroom, Hiccup's heart leapt within him at the sight of his best friend.

"Hey Toothless," he cooed softly, trying not to make too much noise; he was mindful that others might still be asleep, as the sun had not yet risen.

The young man paused for a moment, wondering why he had turned up in his old room this morning...it frightened him that his last clear memories were of the cool, dark hallways of the hollow bastion, so very far away.

He had been alone with Toothless, happy in the company of his oldest and most trusted friend who had been soothing and comforting an emotionally stricken boy who had lost so much.

Oh, there were other recollections...faint images of a beautiful blond woman, the glint of his own short sword clutched tightly in angry hands, a huge, grey, and eerily familiar monster, and glowing inferno, its red and yellow flames reaching up to consume him, to burn him to ashes and cast his soul to Hel's deepest caverns...

"Toothless," he called out again, a little louder this time.

Perhaps the Night Fury could give him the answers he sought –

A piercing, hot pain shot through his left knee and surged up to his thigh like torturous needles of pure agony, stabbing relentlessly at the raw flesh of his leg.

Hiccup gasped and gritted his teeth, shaking and shivering as a sudden chill gripped his body; this was quite some cramp.

A sudden and completely unexpected vision flashed through his mind, a memory of a great, club-like, spined tail thrashing against a cloudy grey sky –

_Crunch_.

Hiccup lurched with nausea as the echo of a disastrous collision crashed into his consciousness.

He had to find out what was going on.

Tossing the blankets to one side, Hiccup swung himself around to sit on the side of his bed, glancing angrily at his pained leg–but as he made to stand up, he did a massive double take.

And suddenly, he fell forwards, crashing down onto his chest, his reactions slow and sluggish.

The boy simply lay there for a moment in shock, trying to come to terms with what he had just seen...or rather, what he hadn't seen.

Perhaps the pain had dulled his sensed, masking and distorting their trustworthiness...Come to think of it, he could be imagining everything.

Perhaps he was even still dreaming –

A soft, warbling noise told him that Toothless had at last awoken, responding to the resounding crash of Hiccup's misjudged step, and the young man raised his head slightly to see the blurred form of a Night Fury bending over him, pushing its head underneath Hiccup's chest to lift him up.

Wrapping his arms around the black dragons scaly snout, the boy held on tight as Toothless lifted him right back to his feet, and then gave him a gentle shove so that he fell right back onto the bed.

Hiccup rubbed his face, and looked at the wide-eyed Night Fury, who stared back at him with a combination of curiosity and worry.

"Hey bud," he spoke quietly, and was delighted to receive a dragon-chuckle in reply. "I'm alright...I think."

The pain was starting to subside a little, but tears still welled up in Hiccup's eyes at the throbbing ache in his left leg.

Turning his gaze to his torso, the young man's eyes traced down his legs and to his...foot.

Only one.

Retracing the path, Hiccup stopped upon a ghastly sight.

His left leg was completely severed below the knee, the raw stump wrapped in countless bandages, the white of the linen tinted with the stained pink with the tiniest hints of blood.

As wave after wave of shock crashed over his mind, obliterating his last vestiges of self-control, Hiccup simply stared at the remnants of his leg, mesmerised by the sight.

He could feel the vague touch of Toothless' scaly snout nudging urgently at the boy's face, but did not respond.

It hardly seemed possibly to accept it; he was...a cripple.

His leg was gone...for good.

"_Hiccup?"_ The young man stirred at the voice in his mind, the familiar, comforting, intelligent tone of his best friend.

He raised his head slowly to look to Toothless in the eyes.

The dragon stared sadly back at him, one soft paw resting against Hiccup's leg to connect the two of them through more than just words.

"What..." Hiccup rasped, the lone word catching on the dryness of his throat. "_What happened?_" Toothless blinked several times as though surprised at the question.

"_You don't remember?_" Hiccup shook his head.

"_Bits and pieces...we were in the hollow bastion..._"

"_Yes?_" prompted the Night Fury.

"_...and that's the last thing I remember._" The Night Fury averted his gaze, and Hiccup stared at him sadly. "_Toothless, what happened?_" he repeated, this time more forcefully.

The sound of muffled footsteps gave both human and dragon a slight surprise; neither of them had expected to be interrupted.

But as the thump of naked feet upon bare wood made its way up the staircase and right up to the door to Hiccup's room.

"_I think, perhaps,_" Toothless said thoughtfully, "_I should not be the one to explain._" And as the Night Fury drew back to sit up on his hind-quarters in his little corner of the room, the latch of the door clicked audibly, and the wooden frame swung wide.

In walked a young Viking woman, blond, her bushy hair tamed behind a brown, leather headband, a look of worried curiosity lacing her smooth features.

For a moment, Hiccup could do nothing but stare; she was perhaps the most beautiful women he had ever seen...And for a few seconds, it seemed as though the newcomer could only do the same.

But, soon enough, the young woman quietly shut the door behind her and turned back to look at Hiccup with wide, shining eyes and an utterly enchanting smile.

Toothless rolled his eyes, gave the girl a look which clearly said _don't-go-trying-anything-on-while-I'm-here-or-else_, and shuffled back over into his corner, lying down with his head facing away from the bed and huffing audibly.

The blonde giggled.

"Welcome home, Hiccup," she spoke quietly, biting her lower lip; it seemed as though she were trying desperately hard to resist the urge to throw herself upon him in one almighty hug...and perhaps more.

In different circumstances, Hiccup would have been all too glad to open his arms to her, but first he needed to know who she actually _was_...and what _he _was doing back in Berk without any conscious memories of how he got there.

This young Viking did seem somewhat familiar, but Hiccup had met very many blond women of roughly her age on his travels, and could only name a couple of them now...

"Hello..." he replied uncertainly, suddenly aware that, although his midriff down was covered by a pair of loose-fitting sleeping trousers, his arms and torso were _dangerously _bare.

He shivered a little from the cool air and from the intense gaze of the woman at the door.

The blonde's smile faded a little, and she took a few steps towards him.

"Hiccup? Are you alright –?" But, surprised by her sudden advance, the young man stood up as best he could and edged away from her towards the bed head, holding himself up with his hand; only a few minutes had passed since he had awoken, and already he found himself disadvantaged by his injury.

"Who...are you?" he spoke slowly, trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice.

Someone from his childhood, perhaps?

There were several other youngsters who had been about his age at the time of his exile from the village, and he could barely remember their faces, let alone their names...

It was as though the memories of both the immediate past _and _his childhood had simply been hidden away behind a strange veil of mental darkness.

But his question wiped the smile from the young woman's face completely.

"Hiccup? What do you...don't you – don't you remember–?"

"No," he cut in, perhaps with a little more force than intended, for the Viking girl flinched at the sound of his voice.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, at a complete loss as to how to respond.

"Well..." Hiccup continued, averting his eyes; it was strangely difficult to hold her gaze. "Bits and pieces. Meaningless flashes, voices, noises..." he shrugged indifferently. "Nothing that makes sense, anyway." He looked back at her.

"Toothless reckons _you'd_ be better off at explaining it to me," he spoke quietly, nodding to the Night Fury resting in the corner.

"But...I have to know first –"

"I'm Astrid Hofferson."

"Astrid..." He repeated the name, more to himself than anyone else.

_Astrid_...And then, for no apparent reason, a sudden wave of unmatchable anger and hatred surged out from the deepest depths of the young man's heart...along with something else.

His hands clenched into little balls of anger, and he wasn't surprised to see the young woman take a small step back, her eyes widening in surprise and perhaps a little fear; it was clear that neither of them had expected such a reaction.

Hiccup steadied himself, peering through narrowed eyes at the Viking girl, racking his brains for something..._anything _that might help him understand what it was that had suddenly resurfaced in his subconscious mind.

"Hiccup, please tell me you remember me," the blonde spoke, her voice tinged with the tiniest hint of desperation...and terror?

Hiccup made to shake his head, but suddenly stopped, staring at the ground; he _did _remember her.

"You," he said quietly, his voice cold and quiet, "you're the one responsible..." He wasn't sure how, but knew it to be true nonetheless; it was _she _who had so uncaringly ratted him out to his own father, all those years ago.

The young woman swallowed, and took a small step forwards.

"Yes," she replied quietly, a small amount of what seemed to be guilt mingling with the fear and worry in her lyrical voice. "And I'm also the one who brought you back –"

But these words were the final tipping point for Hiccup, and he lurched forwards with anger in his both hands and his heart, with nothing less than tearing callous, uncaring girl apart; _she _had done this?

His rage had, however, taken away the awareness of his injury, and the young man toppled forwards on all threes, bashing his wound upon the wooden floor and cursing at the sudden loss of balance.

But just as the pain shot up from his raw stump and into his thigh once again, Hiccup felt a pair of soft, warm hands wrap gently around his chest and haul him powerfully back upright to stand on his one remaining foot...but not for long.

His vision blurred and swam, and he promptly staggered backwards and sat down rather abruptly upon the bed behind him, the young woman's arms still holding him firmly.

Hiccup sat for a moment with his hands on his thighs, staring down at his...foot, and breathed deeply as the needles in his knee slowly withdrew and faded back into the mind.

The blond Viking removed her grasp from his chest, and sat down beside him, her face still fearful and worried, yet now also strangely brave and defiant.

"Sorry," spoke Hiccup shortly, the nausea in the pit of his stomach preventing him from forming any kind of decent sentence.

The young woman, nodded noiselessly, a slight grimace creasing her clean face.

Hiccup glanced at her irritably and noticed that she was still gazing avidly at him, in spite of the fact that he had very nearly attacked her.

"Would you mind," he spoke through gritted teeth, keeping the anger and slight amusement out of his voice, "not staring _quite_ so much?"

"Oh..." The Viking woman instantly turned a shade of deepest red, and looked away, although not in time to hide her embarrassed smile.

Standing up momentarily, she reached over to the wooden chair by the workbench and grabbed a shirt that had been hanging there, one of Hiccup's own.

"Here," she spoke gently, not meeting his scowl, "put this on." Slipping quickly into the green tunic, Hiccup turned his gaze back to his...foot.

Several seconds of awkward silence went by.

"So..." began Hiccup at length, "what now?" The young woman gave him a worried look.

"Well," she replied slowly biting her lip once again, "I...guess I had better explain to you what happened...you know, how you ended up back here, in Berk...and why you have no leg."

The last part of her sentence came out very fast, and the two of them grinned; it had been laughably rapid speaking on her part.

And, almost instantly, both of them chuckled, and turned to smile at each other.

Hiccup sighed and shook his head, all anger forgotten.

"Well, you may as well get started –"

But without any indication of what she was about to do or any kind of warning whatsoever, the young woman leaned over and kissed him.

Not a light peck on the cheek, or a mother's caring smooch to the forehead, but a lover's caress, straight to the lips –

Hiccup immediately pulled backwards, taken completely by surprise at this sudden show of affection.

Was there something between them that he simply couldn't remember –?

And there it was.

As though they had been waiting for just the right moment to resurface, his memories came flooding back, thick and fast like the fresh storm tide of an early Autumn morning.

Hiccup bent forward, gasping for air, the room swimming nauseatingly before his eyes yet again...only this time it faded away almost instantly, to be replaced by a placid, soothing sensation of pure calmness.

He took several deep breaths, steadied himself, and turned back to look at the woman beside him.

Astrid was staring at him, utterly horrified, and it was clear almost instantly what was troubling her.

"No," he said immediately, holding up a hand to silence the impending tide of apologies. "It wasn't you! Well...it was but not in that way –" He wasn't exactly helping.

"Astrid, I remember!"

The young woman froze, her mouth open ever so slightly, staring at him in surprise.

"You mean..." she seemed to be grappling inwardly with the idea. "_Everything?_"

"Everything," Hiccup echoed.

And suddenly, he felt absolutely awful...for everything.

His _appalling_ behaviour upon Astrid's arrival at the hollow bastion, his aggressive and unforgiving attitude towards her, and his lateness arriving at the battle on the Dragon's Island having almost cost her life.

Regardless of what she had done in the past, this was no way to act towards someone who was trying to make amends and search for reconciliation –

Without any warning at all, Astrid got up from the bed and took several steps backwards, staring awkwardly at Hiccup.

"Everything?" she repeated quietly, and Hiccup sighed; he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Astrid, I can't...I'm sorry, I can't deal with this now –"

"Fine, that's...fine," the young woman moved away towards the door, but Hiccup could have sworn he saw a single tear form in the corner of her eye first.

"No," Hiccup croaked, "please, don't go...I have to know –" Astrid turned back to face him at the door, her face void of all emotion...a trick she had most likely learned from him.

"– how did this happen?"

"You mean...your leg?"

"Yes. The last thing I remember is –" Hiccup forced his memories into line, searching through them one by one. "– Slamming into the Red Death's tail." He shuddered at the thought of the sickening collision which had, presumably, thrown him from the saddle.

Astrid closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"You were knocked off Toothless' back," she spoke quietly and solemnly, confirming his suspicions, "and fell –" The young woman brought a hand up to her mouth, looking back at him with grief in her eyes. "– into the fire."

Hiccup shivered, remembering the colossal fireball which had torn the Dragon King apart from the inside as he had crashed fatally into the ground, his insides alight, his own gases burning within him from Toothless' perfectly placed fireball.

"Toothless fell after you," Astrid continued, her voice shaking a little, "and I...well, I guess he must have caught you before you...before the fire got to you. When we found you, you were wrapped up in Toothless' wings. He saved you, Hiccup..." The young man turned to look at the Night Fury in the corner, who had, predictably enough, gone back to sleep.

Hiccup smiled inwardly at the faint sound of the black dragon's breathing and quickly added another count to the amount of times he owed Toothless his life.

"Was he badly injured?" Hiccup could see the fading lines of some serious scarring along the Night Fury's sides which had definitely not been present before the battle, but was not worried.

"Well," Astrid replied, her voice tinted with confusion, "we _thought_ so. The metal from his harness had melted and cut into his skin. He bled a little, but we didn't even need to patch him up. We brought him back here, he slept for a while, and the wounds just seemed to...fade away." Hiccup grinned.

"Night Furies have the this bizarre ability to heal themselves of just about any light to moderate injuries in a very short space of time if left to simply rest. At least, _he_ does – I've yet to meet another Night Fury, so I can't be sure whether he's the rule or the exception." Astrid smiled briefly, before continuing.

"I don't think he was injured by the fall, either –"

"– because the fireball would have acted like a giant cushion." Hiccup finished her sentence for her, and the young woman looked slightly irritated.

"That's exactly what I was going to say..." she pouted, and Hiccup gave her a cheeky smile.

"I know, but you didn't really need to..." The two of them looked at each other for a moment, before Hiccup broke the stare and looked down at his...foot, fidgeting a little with his hands.

Astrid was completely silent.

"What about me?" Hiccup asked at length, looking back up into the young woman's worried face.

It took Astrid a moment to consider her reply.

"...I, _we,_ had a little trouble, er, _convincing _Toothless to let us take care of you –" Hiccup burst out laughing.

"I'm sure you had to pin him down or something," he jested, but was surprised to see that Astrid wasn't at all amused.

"Actually, we _did_," she spoke quietly, knocking the smile of Hiccup's face instantly.

"Oh..." He glanced over at the Night Fury in the corner, and felt his love for the kind and caring dragon increase tenfold.

"It wasn't fun," Astrid continued, her voice low and a little sour. "Everyone could see that he just wanted to make sure you were safe, but no-one could convince him that we weren't going to harm you..."

Hiccup stared back down at the floor, small snippets of old memories resurfacing and meandering through his mind.

"Well, you can't exactly blame him for that," he spoke coolly, glancing back up at Astrid.

"No," she replied quietly, a guilty look smeared across her face; they both knew what he was talking about.

"After we organised to get Toothless carried back to Berk, I managed...I succeeded in convincing the Vikings on the island to put aside their fears for a little while...and ride back to Berk on dragons –"

"Wow!" Hiccup stared at her with wide eyes; that was _very_ impressive. "That's...really quite amazing!" Astrid blushed.

"It wasn't easy," she said with a smile, "I had to get Stoick to shout for me –"

Hiccup chuckled.

"He's pretty good at shouting," he said with a smile, but immediately wished he hadn't, as Astrid instantly looked guilty again; the memories of seven years ago were evidently still fresh in both of their minds.

"So," he prompted quickly, "then what?" The young woman took a deep breath, before continuing.

"There were a couple of longboats which were still seaworthy, so some of us stayed behind to look after the injured Vikings on the ships, including you; Stoick deemed that they were too risky to fly home, and I must say I agreed with him." Hiccup nodded, prompting her to keep going.

"So I stayed on the boat until we got back to Berk, and then took you up to the chief's house. You've been asleep for a whole week..."

Hiccup stared up into Astrid's eyes; she looked utterly worn out.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to the young man, stirred up by the sight of the small pile of blankets on the floor.

But he didn't even have to put a voice to his thoughts, for the blond Viking did it for him.

"I've been looking after you the whole time," she said quietly, blushing again.

Hiccup did not return her smile.

"Hold on," he said suddenly, "you said you convinced the Vikings to fly back to Berk on the backs of dragons..."

"Yes."

"So...then what happened to the dragons?" It was a question which had been sitting right at the back of his mind since he had first remembered what had happened in the skies above the Dragon's Island, and had now edged its way forwards into his train of conscious thought.

Astrid's face broke into a wide smile.

"Come and see," she spoke softly, tilting her head to one side and grinning slyly at him.

Hiccup stared at her in confusion.

"What...now?" He glanced down at his legs.

"Sure!" Astrid replied enthusiastically. "Stoick was with me when we heard you wake up, and by now he's probably told the whole village –" Hiccup frowned, but did not yet interrupt.

"– Everyone will be there to give you a proper welcome home! _And_," she continued, talking right over the top of Hiccup's objections, "I can help you get down there. Besides, I think Gobber has a present for you that you're _definitely _going to like!" Hiccup sighed.

His body was telling him to simply climb back into bed and rest, but his heart had other ideas.

That, and he hardly felt he had the power to say no to the enchanting smile that Astrid was now giving him.

"Alright, fine," he said at length, "but don't expect anything fancy or...or...oh, you know what I mean –"

"Of course," said Astrid, still smiling slyly at him. "You have, after all, just fought against a terrifyingly huge monster, defeated it, lost part of your leg in the process, and then been unwillingly carted back to the village of your childhood. I don't think anyone expects much of you at the moment." Hiccup gave her a dull stare.

"Thank you for summing that up," he spoke dryly, causing the Viking girl before him to giggle and blush once again.

She was most certainly no longer the Astrid he had once known, seven years ago.

"Well, come on then," said Astrid abruptly, suddenly quite businesslike, "let's get the formalities over and done with." She walked over to the side of the bed and stood there expectantly.

Hiccup looked at her in amusement.

"So you're going to carry me then?" he asked with a cheeky grin, and the young woman gave him a scathing look.

"_No_, I'm just going to act as your left leg for a little while." The brown-haired boy shrugged.

"Alright, have it your way. Just keep control of your hands this time," he said nonchalantly heaving himself onto his foot and letting Astrid take his left arm around her shoulders.

"What do you mean...?" she asked with a hint of confusion, wrapping her other arm around his waist.

"Well, d'you remember what happened near the end of the return journey to Berk?" he replied as the two of them started off towards the door, and out of the corner of his eye saw Astrid turn a intense shade of red and look away in embarrassment.

"Hold on," Hiccup spoke suddenly, just as Astrid pulled the door to his room wide open with her free hand.

"What about Toothless?" The young woman looked over at the sleeping dragon.

"Let him rest," she said after only a moment's thought. "He's been through just as much as you, and had only a little more sleep. He doesn't seem to do much other than sleep these days..."

Hiccup nodded.

"Aye, let him sleep then," he agreed, and the two of them continued on in silence, out of Hiccup's room, down the staircase, past the central fire of the chief's residence and over to the door to the outside world.

Hiccup stared around at the inside of the house, his face impassive but his mind alight with rekindled memories of his childhood.

The ancient, wooden table by which he had sat at breakfast each morning, rambling to a sweet and understanding mother about his latest ventures with Gobber's tools, the countless sets of swords and shields of previous chieftains which lined the walls, the great wooden pillars holding up the first floor of the house.

They had all seemed like things of the past, forgotten artefacts of time's progression, but no more.

Hiccup was back...he was finally _home_.

A sudden fear took Hiccup by the stomach, gripping him tightly and refusing to let go, and the young man stumbled and fell against the wall by the door, panting a little from the tremendous effort of hauling himself around on only one leg, even with Astrid as a mainstay and pillar.

Removing his arm from around her shoulders, the blond Viking took at step back and stared at him, also breathing heavily from the effort involved in supporting the boy as far as she had.

"Hiccup? Are you alright –?"

"No," the young man cut in harshly, clutching at the stitch in his stomach.

"I can't do it, Astrid. I can't face them –" Astrid looked horrified.

"Yes you can!" she cut in with indignation. "Hiccup you have nothing to fear anymore! Everyone in the village has not only recognised but also accepted that how we treated you was just plain _wrong_, and we're _all_ ready to both apologise _and_ beg your forgiveness!"

The words echoed in Hiccup's head, their inner meaning clear and concise; the Vikings of Berk were ready to accept him for who he was, and not who he should be.

His eyes trailed up from his lone foot, up Astrid's legs, over her shapely chest and onto her face to meet her concerned gaze.

The young woman smiled at him gently, her head tilted ever so slightly to one side.

"Please, Hiccup," she whispered, taking one of his hands in her own, "trust me when I say that _we _are ready to do this." And, at long last, Hiccup nodded in quiet acceptance; if they were ready to accept him, then he was ready to return.

Pushing himself away from the wall, the young man heaved himself back onto his feet, wheeling round to face the door as Astrid wrapped the boy's left arm over her shoulder once again.

Hiccup took a deep breath.

"I'm ready too," he said strongly, looking at the woman beside him, and received a simple nod in return.

With her free hand, Astrid grabbed the door handle, and pulled hard.

The wooden frame swung wide, and Hiccup was instantly blinded by the intensely bright sunlight which washed over him like a warm bath in the village's hot springs.

Shielding his eyes with his free hand, Hiccup felt himself staggering forward under Astrid's support, and the two of them stumbled out, into the open air, and down the great stone steps which lead from the chieftain's house to the centre of the village.

As Hiccup's eyes finally adjusted to the light, he became aware of a great many things.

The sky was littered with a light smattering of tattered clouds, their sleek, white forms racing each other across the blue expanse like countless Valkyries in full flight.

Although the far horizon was hazy, a light breeze was blowing across the Viking village, whipping up little eddies of dust and dry grass.

Right before the young man's very eyes was a enormous throng consisting of both Vikings _and_ dragons, all jumbled up and mixed together as one.

In only a few seconds, Hiccup recognised a great many faces; Snotlout, his face carrying worry and perhaps a little confusion, the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, the expression of apprehension of one mirrored perfectly on the other, Fishlegs, his pudgy features squashed into an look of uncertainty, Gobber, his toothy grin replaced by a odd mixture of feelings which Hiccup was certain the blacksmith had rarely felt before...and Stoick.

The chief's face was solemn and serious, but his eyes betrayed his inner feelings with their glistening tears, and it was this, more than anything else, that really touched Hiccup's heart.

Stoick was standing out in front of the silent crowd, just ahead of the rest of the Vikings, and Hiccup noted with some sadness that he was the only villager who did not, it seemed, have a dragon at his side.

As Astrid supported him down to the small stone plateau just below almost ten steps down from the chieftain's house, Hiccup gazed around at everyone present.

Their faces portrayed a bizarre collection of feelings, none of which were in line with the traditional Viking character.

But again, his eyes came back to rest upon the Vast man at the head of the throng.

Holding Stoick's gaze for a few seconds, Hiccup sorted through his mind, consciously locating all the little pieces of grief and anger that he held towards the man...and, one by one, let them all go.

A moment later, the boy's face relaxed into a smile, uncertain at first, but growing in warmth as he held the chief in his gaze for longer and longer.

At long last, Stoick mirrored his son's expression, grinning back at the young man with fatherly love.

And, as though suddenly gripped by an irresistible urge, the Viking chieftain began to walk forward, stopping only once he was a couple of yards in front of the two of them.

"Hiccup," he spoke quietly, his voice brimming with elation, "welcome home."

And without any more provocation, Hiccup's face split into a wide grin, happiness bubbling up in his heart to eclipse all other emotions.

Unravelling himself from Astrid's firm grip, the young man lurched forward on one foot, ignoring the blond Vikings worried mumblings, and hopped forwards to crash into his father in one almighty hug.

A huge cheer arose from the crowd, and Hiccup gasped as his ribs were compressed by the huge force of the Vast man's embrace.

"Son," Stoick spoke into Hiccup's ear, audible even above the joyous hollering of the assembled throng, "I'm so sorry...for everything."

And without knowing why he was saying it, Hiccup replied "Yeah, me too dad."

Stoick sniffed, and released his son from his grasp, holding him steadily by the shoulders and looking into the young man's freckled face.

Seven years ago, Hiccup had been a scrawny little fishbone who could not lift a hammer, swing an axe, or even throw a bola with any kind of force.

But now, _now _that _little boy_ stood as tall and strong as his father, looking him in the eyes with robust confidence.

Stoick let out a great, booming laugh, and cuffed his son across the head, ruffling his long brown hair in a manner simply _oozing_ with fatherly affection.

He was now the one holding Hiccup up, but with only one arm.

And all of a sudden, Hiccup was surrounded by Vikings and dragons, their collective voices chattering and murmuring, laughing and joking, happy that their hero was, at last, awake.

Turning back to look at his father, the young man opened his mouth to speak, but his question was answered by the Vast man even before it had been asked.

"It turns out, after all these years, that all we need was a little more o' _this_." He waved a casual hand over Hiccup's form, and the boy frowned.

"You just gestured to all of me," he said with a hint of irritation, but the chief just smiled; that was exactly what he meant.

"Well," sounded a familiar voice, "most of you." Gobber had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and now stood staring at the dragon-rider with admiration glistening in his eyes...and a bizarre wooden and metal contraption in his hands.

It looked a little like one of the half-finished mechanical experiments left over from his younger days.

"Sorry I didn't have it finished earlier," the blacksmith spoke with a grin, and handed the device to Hiccup.

Taking it in his arms, it took the young man only a second to realise that what he was looking at was an artificial leg.

Completely stunned by this unexpected present, Hiccup looked back up at the Belch before him, but only managed to smile in thanks.

"You think it'll do?" Gobber asked, gesturing casually to the prosthesis in Hiccup's hands.

Studying the spring-based leg replacement with a keen eye, he gave the blacksmith a cheeky grin.

"I might make a few tweaks," he answered slyly, and swelled with joy as the ground around him laughed appreciatively at his little jest; for what was possibly the first time ever, they were laughing not at him, _with _him.

As the throng murmured and chuckled around him, a though suddenly struck Hiccup, jolting some sense back into the overjoyed young man, and he turned around in his father's grasp to look behind him at a shy figure who was trying to melt away into the crowd as though she had never been there.

"Astrid!" The young woman stopped, and gave Hiccup a fearful look.

"_Don't!_

_Please don't!_" she mouthed at him in terror, but the brown-haired boy laughed, and beckoned to her; Astrid would get a share of the glory too, whether she liked it or not.

Grabbing an unwilling Astrid by the arm, Hiccup grinned cheekily at her, before turning and raising his voice up above the chattering of the jubilant crowd.

"But it wasn't just me!" the young man called out across the thong, his powerful, mature voice carrying far over the village and reaching everyone's ears.

"Astrid Hofferson is the one responsible for dragging me out of my den and back into the real world, and just in time, too! So, my fellow Vikings, show your respect and –!" But the rest of his words were completely drowned by the swelling cheers of the crowd, and all eyes were now fixed upon Astrid.

As soon as it was clear that she would no longer be able to escape quietly into the background, the young woman turned to give Hiccup a mock-angry stare, smiling all the while, her face a shade of lightest pink.

For a moment, the incessant sound of the joyous throng seemed to fade into the distance, and Hiccup gazed enthralled into Astrid's beautiful face.

There was something there, he felt, something between them that perhaps exceeded mere friendship...but the wounds of the heart did not heal so easily, and Hiccup would have to be content with simply being friends with her...for now.

At least they were now friends.

The _old _Astrid would not have given him the time of day, let alone have felt strongly enough to seek him out on a quest for reconciliation.

She was, dare he say it again, really a changed woman.

As the sounds of the crowd returned to batter his eardrums once again, a strange sound suddenly mingled with the chattering of countless Vikings and dragons, a familiar cooing and warbling that he had heard so many times before –

"Night Fury!"

"Get down!"

As Hiccup looked over the top of the crowd and up the hill to his father's house, his heart leapt at the sight of the sleek, black dragon which bounded down the hill, bowling aside numerous Vikings in his attempts to get to his rider.

Hiccup laughed as the Night Fury seemed to dance across the humans' heads, each and every villager falling to the ground as Toothless leapt from one to the next.

However, in his eagerness to greet his best friend, Hiccup forgot once again that his left leg was no longer whole, and as he turned to meet the Night Fury's overjoyed figure, he toppled forward, straight towards the ground – But it wasn't Gobber, Stoick, or even Astrid who got to him first, but the black dragon himself.

Toothless' snout darted straight under the his rider's falling figure, catching him perfectly and pushing him back up to stand straight.

Hiccup found himself looking straight into the Night Fury's eyes, his arms wrapped around the dragon's scaly head.

There was a great sigh of affection from the crowd, and Toothless barked loudly, his dragonesque laugh audible to everyone present.

Hiccup looked into his friend's face and smiled.

The two of them had been through so much together, tackled so many adventures and faced countless dangers, only to wind up back where it had all begun.

And now, they were equals in every sense.

Toothless was missing a fin, and Hiccup a leg.

Alone, neither could function properly, but together...together they could do anything.

Hiccup gave the Night Fury an affectionate scratch and turned back to look at the rest of the crowd.

Gobber stood there with Hiccup's prosthesis in his arms, grinning toothily at the boy and his dragon; he must have picked the artificial leg up after Hiccup had dropped it upon turning to greet his friend.

In time, the young man would learn to walk on his own with the metal replacement, but until that day came, he would have to stick with Toothless.

Stoick was staring at his son with pride in his eyes and the hearty grin of a Viking chieftain visible underneath his great, bushy beard.

And Astrid...Astrid was looking at him in admiration, her smile shining out from the pressing crowd around them.

Here, at last, on the long and winding road of life, Hiccup found himself could at last see a happy end.

With friends to love him, a father to support him and an eternal companion to stay by his side at all times, he was finally at peace.

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><p><em>There you are, people!<em>

_Please, I know how incessant this is, but I really do need those critical reviews, especially now, where I'm trying to set everything up correctly for the later parts. If there are any continuity errors or anything that simply sounds bad, let me know!  
><em>

_The epilogue will be up shortly._


	11. Epilogue

_...and finally the epilogue. I'd just like to apologise to all about the seemingly soppy nature of this conclusion - I simply tried to do a happy ending, but must have overdone it. Also, please stop asking questions about the planned sequels - yes, Hiccup's past seven years will be covered in detail, and yes I will try to resolve any existing continuity crises, but apart from that it's all a surprise.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Epilogue<em>

Toothless was at peace as well.

The black dragon loved the attention and affection of the Viking crowd, and the awed admiration he received from the other dragons for what he and his rider had done.

His rider...

Hiccup thought he owed the Night Fury everything that he owned...his freedom, his sanity, his sense of self-worth and even his life.

But if this were the case, then Toothless' respect and gratefulness towards the young man was so many times greater.

Hiccup though he had done the Night Fury a grievous injury the day he shot Toothless out of the sky, tearing off a tail fin in the process.

But what he had really done was pulled the black dragon out of a torturous life of terrible servitude, and taught him to think and act like a wild dragon would.

And as the two of them had then been sent into exile together, they had learned from each other until both had mastered their weaknesses and learned to live and fight alongside one another as two parts of the same whole.

And for all this, Toothless thought, he owed the Vikings of Berk a twisted kind of thanks.

For in essence, it was really _they _who had set in motion a chain of events which had ultimately led down the path to the death of the tyrannical Dragon King and the freeing of his miserable subjects.

Laughing inwardly at this supreme, if somewhat warped logic, Toothless turned his mind to look at the Viking villagers, considering them one by one.

From what he had heard, Gobber the blacksmith had been the one human who had, aside from training Hiccup in the art of smithing and crafting, been the only person who had at all times acted in a friendly manner towards the boy.

Giving Hiccup gentle encouragement and occasionally a brusque push in the right direction had been his main influence in the brown-haired man's pained childhood, and Toothless could not hate him for it.

The other young Vikings, the rest of what Hiccup had infrequently referred to as '_the gang_' had been the ones who had given the boy so much grief, all those years ago.

But the fact that they had not only showed some level regret and remorse upon Hiccup's arrival back at Berk, but also placed themselves in terrible danger riding with him into battle against the Red Death had endeared them somewhat to the Night Fury, and he had already forgiven each and every one of them individually.

Stoick was a bit of a bump in the road to forgiving the Viking village its wrongs and simply living as a part of it.

If he had only been more supportive of his son's imaginative and abstract nature, if he had perhaps accepted Hiccup's notion seven years ago to make peace with the dragons, if he had not felt it necessary to banish his only son out into the wide world at the fresh age of only thirteen...but Toothless would no longer speculate on what could have been.

The Viking chieftain had shown true grit and love for his son in his decision to let Hiccup keep his knee even at the risk of deadly infection, thereby allowing the boy's companion to keep the power of flight...Oh yes, Hiccup would learn to fly with that new leg of his, even if it took them years, and Toothless was thankful to Stoick for it.

But Astrid was a real pickle, one which had already soured in spite of having been freshly washed and cleaned – abandoning this wildly complicated metaphor as quickly as he could, the Night Fury considered the young woman's actions and intentions.

Both seemed now as clear, clean and shining as northern ice in the sunlight, but the shadow of anger and dislike cast by the clouds of old memories stained the pristine white layer with a blotch of deepest grey; this comparison seemed a little more suitable.

Toothless was constantly frustrated and unnerved by the beautiful woman's seductive glances and frequent blushing intended for Hiccup; he would not see the young man's heart destroyed by a relationship with the girl who had so long ago attempted to do just so, willingly or not.

But yet...Hiccup had considered her and all she had done, searching him out and bringing him home to a grand and happy welcome.

And even if it had cost the boy his leg and almost his life, he had still forgiven her for everything.

And if Hiccup could, then so could Toothless.

It was a warm and windy day upon which echoed the Night Fury's innermost feelings, as finally began to trust, respect and appreciate the people who had so long been his sworn enemies, and Toothless hoped that it would stay that way for a very long time.

_To be continued..._

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><p><em>Part Three will be commencing soon - I can't give an exact date, but it will probably be Sunday week, that's the 8th of July. From there on, I'll probably go back to the two week schedule.<br>_

_Until then, happy reading! I do hope this inspires others to write! This story was mostly driven forward by the writings of the author I mentioned previously - his main story is Hero of the Day.  
><em>

_Lumpyness.  
><em>


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